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A federal decide from Washington, D.C., is dealing with criticism for what experts are calling “inappropriate” comments about former President Trump in a media interview as Trump faces a federal trial in the judge’s district.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton for the District of Columbia appeared in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday after Trump criticized the daughter of New York Judge Juan Merchan, who’s presiding over the hush money case scheduled to go to trial April 15.
Walton, in a uncommon media look for a sitting decide, sat for the interview Thursday and criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “very disconcerting.”
But authorized experts inform Fox News Digital that Walton’s comments have been “inappropriate” as a result of Trump is a defendant in Walton’s district in a separate case introduced by particular counsel Jack Smith’s case.
NEW YORK JUDGE IMPOSES GAG ORDER ON TRUMP IN BRAGG HUSH MONEY CASE
Reggie B. Walton, decide for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)
“Judge Reggie Walton is a sitting federal judge in a district where Donald Trump is currently a criminal defendant with an active case. He should not be publicly commenting in media interviews on anything related to him, full stop,” stated Kerri Kupec Urbhan, former counselor to Attorney General Bill Barr and Fox News authorized editor.
“This is yet another example of a lack of regard for the appearance of fairness when it comes to Donald Trump, which, whether you like Trump or not, flies in the face of what judges and the justice system are supposed to be about.”
TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL TO BEGIN APRIL 15, JUDGE RULES, DENYING MOTION TO DELAY
Merchan this week imposed a gag order on the previous president and 2024 GOP presumptive nominee forward of the trial subsequent month. In a Truth Social publish Thursday, Trump referenced the decide’s daughter by title and referred to as her a “Rabid Trump Hater” for her associations with a agency that’s consulted Democratic candidates and causes, suggesting that “totally compromised” her father and calling for his elimination from the case.
Merchan issued the gag order towards Trump Tuesday, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they set up “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.”
Merchan ordered that Trump can not make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses regarding their potential participation or about counsel in the case — aside from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — or about courtroom employees, DA employees or relations of employees.
Former President Trump speaks throughout a press convention at 40 Wall Street after a pretrial listening to March 25, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Trump additionally referred to a Twitter account previously owned by Merchan’s daughter that contains a image of Trump behind jail bars because the profile picture.
Walton, who has additionally presided over Jan. 6, 2021, instances in his district, advised CNN he was “concerned” about Trump’s comments.
“We have had judges who’ve lost their lives or family members who’ve lost their lives as a result of individuals who have been litigants in their courtroom. And I think it’s important in order to preserve our democracy that we maintain the rule of law,” he stated.
MANHATTAN DA BRAGG REQUESTS JUDGE IMPOSE GAG ORDER ON TRUMP DURING HUSH MONEY CASE
New York Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the hush money case scheduled to go to trial April 15. (Marc A. Hermann/POLARIS)
“The rule of law can only be maintained if we have independent judicial officers … and that the law is applied equally to everyone who appears in our courthouse.
“I feel it’s necessary that, as judges, we communicate out and say issues and reference to issues that conceivably are going to impression on the method, as a result of if we don’t have a viable courtroom system, we’ve tyranny.”
Walton’s office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
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John Shu, a constitutional attorney who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital Walton’s comments were “unseemly.”
“It’s unseemly for Judge Walton to publicly talk about Trump or a Trump case, no matter which one, as a result of one in all Trump’s lively felony instances is in Judge Walton’s courtroom, the federal district courtroom in D.C.,” he said.
Shu added that “evidently the interviewer wrongly conflated Trump’s harsh social media critiques about Judge Merchan and his daughter – which most likely fall inside First Amendment protections – and the terrible, precise threats that Judge Walton and his household confronted, that are thought-about felony habits and thus not protected speech.”
“Just just like the terrible, precise threats that Justices Alito, Coney Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Roberts and Thomas and their respective households needed to cope with after the Dobbs draft opinion leak,” Shu noted.
Following the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court opinion, which eventually overturned Roe v. Wade, crowds of protesters swarmed the homes of several of the justices in the majority opinion for several days. One man was charged with plotting an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Carrie Severino, the president of Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) and former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, said ensuring the safety of judges and their families is critical for the rule of law.
But, she said, “it is shocking that a few of the individuals who have praised Judge Walton for his comments weren’t talking out when there was an tried assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, or when left-wing teams doxxed six of the justices and illegally protested at their properties after the Dobbs opinion leaked.”
Merchan introduced Monday that the trial will start April 15.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying enterprise data in the primary diploma. Trump pleaded not responsible to all fees.
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