Judge Reggie Walton (Administrative Office of the United States Courts)
Judge Reggie Walton is a twice Bush-appointed judge — once by Papa Bush to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, then by Dubya to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia — known for being tough on crime. So a real conservative jurist. But at a recent sentencing, Judge Walton made some comments that are making folks do a double take.
It was in the criminal case of Jacob Zerkle, an Arizona pistachio farmer, who pleaded guilty to two felonies in relation to the January 6th insurrection. Walton has said of January 6th that it “still haunts us because the individuals who instigated what occurred are still engaging in the same rhetoric that resulted in the frenzy that took place on that day.” The judge built on that sentiment in Zerkle’s sentencing.
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Judge Walton warned that if Donald Trump were to lose the election, again, in 2024, “there won’t be an acceptance of a defeat.” As reported by the Huffington Post, Walton continued:
Speaking during a sentencing hearing for a Capitol attack defendant who’d previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and civil disorder, Walton also said that unlike Trump, former Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore “was a man about it” when he conceded the contested 2000 election.
Did… he just do what I think he did? Question the manhood of Trump? LOL — that’s sure to go over like a lead balloon in some of the darker corners of the internet. At least one Republican federal judge has learned a lifetime appointment means you don’t have to kowtow to Trump.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].