The criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, one of Donald Trump’s most prominent adversaries, will be handled by the newest judge on the federal bench in Alexandria, Virginia.
Court records show that U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, a Biden appointee confirmed in 2021, was randomly assigned Thursday to oversee the matter after a grand jury indicted Comey on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Comey’s indictment represents the culmination of years of conflict with Trump, who has frequently accused the former FBI director of abusing his office during the 2016 election and early stages of the Russia investigation.
Comey has said publicly since the indictment, “I’m not afraid” and insisted he is innocent.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 9 in Alexandria.
Nachmanoff, 57, has a long history in federal courts in northern Virginia. Before his appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, he spent six years as a magistrate judge and more than a decade as a public defender.
He was recommended for the federal bench by Virginia’s two Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and confirmed by a narrow 52-46 Senate vote, with only three Republicans—Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski—supporting his nomination.
As a magistrate judge in 2019, Nachmanoff presided over the arraignment of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two associates of Rudy Giuliani who faced campaign finance charges connected to Giuliani’s efforts to dig up damaging information about Joe Biden in Ukraine. He released both men on $1 million bond.
His career before joining the judiciary reflected a commitment to defense work in some of the country’s most high-profile cases.
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As a federal public defender, Nachmanoff’s office represented al-Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui and Somali pirates captured after attacking a Navy vessel in 2010. In one notable case argued before the Supreme Court, Nachmanoff successfully pressed for judicial discretion in sentencing drug defendants whose punishments were inflated by crack cocaine laws.
The justices ruled 7-2 in favor of his position, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg writing the majority opinion.
His background as a defense attorney has drawn attention now that he will oversee proceedings against a former FBI director facing felony charges.
Critics note that Nachmanoff’s past career representing controversial defendants could influence his judicial approach, while supporters argue that it shows a long-standing respect for due process and civil liberties.
Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until his dismissal by Trump in 2017, has defended the bureau’s handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton’s emails during the 2016 campaign, but also authorized surveillance that Republicans later denounced as politically motivated.
After his firing, he became an outspoken Trump critic, drawing condemnation from conservatives who accused him of politicizing federal law enforcement. Trump has openly said he views Comey as part of a “deep state” effort to undermine his presidency.
The indictment charges that Comey misled Congress in sworn testimony and attempted to obstruct an inquiry into the FBI’s conduct.
He will be represented at trial by Patrick Fitzgerald, a former federal prosecutor known for his work in the Valerie Plame leak investigation and the prosecution of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The Justice Department team pursuing the case is led by U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, recently elevated to the post and now heading one of the most politically sensitive prosecutions of the Trump era.
With Nachmanoff on the bench, the Comey case will unfold before a judge whose career has spanned both defense and prosecution, and whose decisions could shape the legal boundaries of executive power and accountability.
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