A retired judge has encouraged U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is presiding over Donald Trump’s election interference case — to have what she called “The Talk” with prosecution and defense teams ahead of the trial, which she has set to begin on March 4.
On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes,” former California Superior Court Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell suggested the pre-trial motion phase was the perfect opportunity for Chutkan to “size up” both parties and send a warning that she wouldn’t tolerate any nonsense.
Cornell would give “‘The Talk,’ it’s the judicial talk” when she knew “there were some issues” with a high-profile case, she said.
“The Talk’ is very simple,” she explained. “You look the litigants and the lawyers, all of them, dead in the eye and you say to them, ‘I’m going to give you fairest trial you’ve ever had and you are going to give me your respect and you’re going to follow my orders, are we clear?’”
Generally, Cornell said, they would all agree with her and “move on.”
It may be time to have “The Talk” if and when Trump’s legal team again tries to delay the start of the trial,” she added.
They initially wanted it to begin in 2026.
The tactic “certainly worked for me,” said Cornell. “Especially when you’re a female judge, because sometimes we don’t get the respect we should be getting as opposed to a male judge, and also being a judge of color.”
“This combination is such that we have to make sure we are in control of the proceedings,” she added. “So, I encourage the judge if she has to do so, and maybe she’s already done it, to have ‘The Talk’ early on.”