Who is Chief Judge James Boasberg?

Chief Judge James Emanuel Boasberg along with (former chief) Thomas Hogan was spotted in the courtroom and is going to be present as a spectator to watch the proceedings as Donald Trump is set to be arraigned today. He also presided over the grand jury that investigated Donald Trump. 

Former US President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned at federal court today for his involvement in the actions to overturn the 2020 election.

Also read | What are the charges against Donald Trump in the 2020 election case?

Who is James Boasberg?

James Emanuel “Jeb” Boasberg was born on February 20, 1963. He is the chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia at the moment. From 2020 to 2021, he presided over the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Boasberg served as an associate judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court prior to this.

He was born in San Francisco, California, in 1963, to parents Sarah Margaret (née Szold) and Emanuel Boasberg III. Boasberg served as a law clerk for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the 1990–1991 term following the completion of law school. Later, in 1996, he joined the District of Columbia’s United States Attorney’s Office. He spent 5.5 years there as a homicide prosecutor, a position he held throughout his employment.

Also read | Donald Trump goes on hate tirade against Joe Biden on Truth Social on his way to arraignment

He was chosen by President George W. Bush to serve as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in September 2002. Before being appointed to the federal bench in 2011, he served in this position in a number of divisions, including the domestic violence branch, the criminal division, and the civil division.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton suggested Boasberg to fill a judicial vacancy on the District of Columbia’s United States District Court during the 111th Congress. Boasberg was formally nominated to the district court by President Barack Obama on June 17, 2010. After being nominated, he was unanimously approved on March 14, 2011, by a vote of 96-0. On March 17, 2011, Boasberg was appointed a federal judge.

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He was appointed as the chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on March 17, 2023.