Trump to face familiar judge in criminal case over 2020 election

The judge assigned to oversee the federal case against Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election has previously ruled against the former president and sharply condemned the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C. is set to preside over the wide-ranging case accusing Trump of attempting to interfere with the counting of votes and seeking to block Congress from certifying the election results.

Trump claimed the indictment unsealed on Tuesday was political persecution aimed at harming his bid to recapture the presidency in 2024.

Here are key facts about Chutkan’s background and rulings:

Chutkan was nominated as a federal judge by President Barack Obama in 2013. She was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate the following year though she did face some Republican opposition in an earlier procedural vote.