ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) \u2014 Michael Nachmanoff has built a quiet reputation in the federal courthouse in northern Virginia \u2014 a onetime public defender turned judge known for methodical preparation and a cool temperament. On Wednesday, he\u2019ll find himself at the center of a political storm: presiding over the Justice Department\u2019s prosecution of former FBI director James Comey.<\/p>\n
Confirmed to the bench by President Joe Biden in 2021, Nachmanoff was randomly assigned to the case after a Virginia grand jury indicted Comey last month on charges including obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The assignment instantly drew Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> attention. The president, long fixated on Comey, blasted him as a \u201cDirty Cop\u201d and derided Nachmanoff as a \u201cCrooked Joe Biden appointed Judge\u201d while celebrating the charges as \u201cJUSTICE FOR AMERICA!\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the political noise, lawyers who know Nachmanoff say he is unlikely to be swayed. <\/p>\n \u201cWhatever his personal politics are, I do not think that they will enter the courtroom,\u201d said longtime Virginia defense attorney Nina Ginsberg, who has tried cases before him. \u201cHe\u2019s confident enough in his ability to judge fairly that I don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to be influenced by politics or the media coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n Nachmanoff, 57, came to the bench after more than a decade as the Eastern District of Virginia\u2019s top federal public defender, where he argued and won a Supreme Court case that helped reduce racial disparities in crack cocaine sentencing. He served six years as a magistrate judge, handling some politically tinged cases. In 2019 he oversaw the first appearances<\/a> of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, releasing them on $1 million bonds. More recently, he refused to block the CIA from firing Dr. Terry Adirim, a Pentagon physician targeted by Trump allies<\/a> over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was an aggressive advocate, the kind of lawyer who left no stones unturned,\u201d Ginsberg said of the judge. She said he conducts his courtroom in an even-handed, respectful manner.<\/p>\n Timothy Belevetz, a defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, said Nachmanoff was \u201calways a worthy adversary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been around the courthouse for years and years and years,\u201d Belevetz said. \u201cHe\u2019s very well-respected. He\u2019s very smart, he\u2019ll give parties a fair shake, he listens to the arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n Comey was charged late last month with lying to Congress. Days earlier, Trump appeared to urge Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute the former FBI director and other political enemies. <\/p>\n Comey himself has acknowledged the political backdrop but expressed confidence in the court system. In a video after his indictment, he said: \u201cMy heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I\u2019m innocent. So let\u2019s have a trial.\u201d<\/p>\n