A federal judge who is currently serving has drawn criticism from the public for criticising former President Donald Trump in a CNN interview. Some have even called for the judge’s impeachment.
Reggie Walton, the U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia, took issue with Trump after he voiced grievances against Justice Juan Merchan of the New York State Supreme Court and his daughter, who had shared a photo of Trump in jail on social media.
On his Truth Social account this week, Trump said that Merchan “is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” according to The Epoch Times.
Walton described Trump’s comments as alarming.
He stated on CNN, “And it’s especially problematic when those remarks take the shape of a threat, especially if they’re aimed at one’s family.” We work for the rule of law because we believe in it and are devoted to it, and the rule of law can only work properly when we have judges who are willing to perform their duties without fear of bodily violence.
Walton went on to state, “It’s crucial that those in positions of authority exercise extreme caution when speaking so as to avoid inciting others to act on their advice and possibly causing harm or even death as a result.”
Independent reporter Julie Kelly and conservative columnist Josh Hammer were among those who demanded that Walton be impeached.
“Is this a (bad) joke?” said Mike Davis, the creator of The Article III Project, in a post on X. It is a federal judge in office. And he’s making remarks about an ongoing criminal case? Against the front-runner for the presidency? in the midst of election season fever? If so, this is really discriminatory. and wholly unsuitable.
Afterwards, Davis stated that his company would be filing a judicial misconduct complaint against the federal judge.
When asked about those remarks last week, Walton said, “I hope that what I say to the people who I’m sentencing will resonate with them and cause them to rethink the activity that they engaged in that brought them before the court and hopefully deter them from engaging in further conduct of that nature in the future.” This is in the context of the sentences that he imposes.
As he oversees Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush money lawsuit against the former president, Merchan has imposed a gag order in Trump’s case.
The legal representative and spokesperson for Trump attacked Bragg’s “case against her client,” branding it as “another disgrace” that further damages the standing of New York’s purported justice system.
In addition, Habba accused U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland of being the “puppeteer” of President Biden’s Justice Department, which she accused of engaging in a coordinated effort with Bragg’s office to dredge the case against Trump back up after the federal Southern District Of New York chose five years ago not to pursue any indictments.
“[Garland’s] the puppeteer, effectively, and so is the current president, or resident, as I call him, in the White House. Truly, there is obviously a coordinated effort. There’s no question about that,” Habba told Schmitt.