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Michael Nachmanoff has built a cool reputation in federal court in Northern Virginia – a onetime public defender turned judge known for methodical preparation and a calm disposition. On Wednesday, he will find himself at the center of a political storm: presiding over the Justice Department’s prosecution of a former FBI director. James Comey,
Confirmed by the President from the bench Joe Biden In 2021, after a Virginia grand jury indicted Comey on charges including obstruction of congressional proceedings the previous month, Nachmanoff was randomly assigned to the case. The assignment immediately caught the attention of Donald Trump. The president, long fixated on Comey, called him a “dirty cop” and called Nachmanoff a “crooked Joe Biden-appointed judge,” while celebrating the charges with “Justice for America!” Celebrated as.
Despite the political noise, lawyers who know Nachmanoff say he is unlikely to be swayed.
“Whatever his personal politics, I don’t think he will enter the courtroom,” said Nina Ginsburg, a longtime Virginia defense attorney who has tried cases before him. “He is so confident in his ability to take decisions impartially that I don’t think he will be influenced by politics or media coverage.”
Nachmanoff, 57, comes to the bench after more than a decade as the top federal public defender for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he argued and won a case at the Supreme Court that helped reduce racial disparities in crack cocaine sentencing. He served for six years as a magistrate judge, handling some politically charged cases. In 2019 he oversaw the first appearances of Trump allies Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman Rudy GiulianiHe will be released on $1 million bond. More recently, he refused to stop the CIA from firing Dr. Terry Edirim, the Pentagon physician who was targeted by Trump allies over COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Ginsburg said of the judge, “He was an aggressive lawyer, a lawyer who left no stone unturned.” He said that he conducts his court in an even-handed and respectful manner.
Defense attorney and former federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy Bellewetz, said that Nachmanoff “was always a worthy opponent.”
“He’s been around the court for years and years,” Bellewetz said. “He’s very well-respected. He’s very smart, he’ll rock parties well, he listens to reason.”
Late last month, Comey was accused of lying to Congress. A few days ago, Trump was seen urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute the former FBI director and other political enemies.
Comey himself acknowledged his political background but expressed confidence in the court system. In a video after his indictment, he said: “My heart breaks for the Justice Department, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s go to trial.”
The conflict between Trump and Comey has been building for years. Trump fired the FBI director in 2017, just months into his first term, as the bureau investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election. Since then, the former president has repeatedly called for the prosecution of Comey and, in the days before the indictment, publicly pressured Bondy to take action.
To lawyers who have worked with Nachmanoff, that kind of political noise hardly matters. They point to his long record of independence and constitutional rigor. “Federal public defenders are renowned for their devotion to the Constitution and due process,” said Lisa Wayne, executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
He said the White House should welcome Nachmanoff’s participation as a safeguard “against the appearance of partisan political attacks.”
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Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Eric Tucker and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.