Bench Report: Political Backlash Against Judge Who Signed Mar-A-Lago Warrant Breeds Security Concerns + Another Judge Puts Conditions On Retirement
"Reinhart was on duty at a particular time. They presented him with the affidavits and he has to make the call; he's doing his job," said a former federal judge.
August 11, 2022 at 06:54 PM
7 minute read
Bench Report
Happy Friday from Brad and Avalon here at Law.com's Bench Report. Republicans have lobbed criticism against the judge who signed the search warrant of Trump's residence, and this week, we got reactions from the legal community. Plus, another judge has conditioned his retirement on who his successor is. We have the details on that below. Please reach out to us at [email protected] or [email protected] with any tips or feedback. Follow us on Twitter: @AvalonZoppo and @BradKutner.
Supporters of President Donald Trump hold a rally at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. a day before the scheduled Million MAGA March, on Friday, November 13, 2020. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM Judge Who Issued Trump Warrant Faces Political Criticism, Renewing Judicial Security Concerns
Political criticism surrounding the FBI's raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago home is renewing concerns about judicial security and the impact these misleading statements have on faith in the judiciary, Brad and I reported this week.
Republicans have directed attacks at the justice system as a whole, as well as at the Florida magistrate judge who reportedly signed the search warrant, Judge Bruce Reinhart. Elected officials like Sen. Marco Rubio have suggested Reinhart—who Rubio called an "Obama donor judge" on Fox News—isn't impartial, and social media users on far-right message boards have posted Reinhart's phone numbers and home address.
Former U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said public figures who make inflammatory statements about the judiciary like this could give individuals what they view as a justification to harm judges. And mischaracterizations about the duties of magistrate judges and their selection process–which is handled by district court judges—further exacerbate the matter.
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