U.S Presidential Election 2024: U.S district judge declines recusal from Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case

The judge in charge of a case about the 2020 election has said she won't step down, despite Donald Trump asking her to. Tanya Chutkan, who was chosen for the role by President Obama, explained that she doesn't see any reason to leave the case. The trial, set for March, accuses Trump of trying to illegally change the results of the election against Joe Biden.

Trump's request for the judge to step down was considered unlikely to succeed, as it was seen as an attempt to question the fairness of the case. Legal experts believed this move wouldn't have much impact and might make things tense between the judge and Trump's defense during the trial.

In their request, Trump's lawyers pointed to comments Judge Chutkan made during hearings related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. They argued that these comments showed she might not be impartial. However, the judge strongly disagreed, stating she had never said Trump should be prosecuted or imprisoned.

This isn't the first time Trump has tried to remove a judge from his cases; a similar attempt in New York was also unsuccessful. Chutkan has been notably strict in cases related to the Capitol riot, where Trump supporters attacked the Capitol building. Trump, who is considering running for president again in 2024, has criticized Chutkan on social media, claiming the case is politically motivated.

The special counsel for the case stated there was no valid reason to remove Judge Chutkan. They emphasized that she had not blamed Trump for the Capitol events or suggested he deserved punishment.

In addition to the recusal request, there's a debate about whether Trump should be restricted from making potentially harmful comments about people involved in the case. Chutkan is considering a request for a limited order to stop Trump from making inflammatory remarks. The trial is set to start on March 4, 2024, although Trump's defense argues they need more time to prepare. This case in Washington is one of four legal challenges Trump faces as he tries to return to the presidency.