U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a former public defender nominated by President Joe Biden, has a reputation as a measured jurist.
The judge presiding over former FBI director James B. Comey’s case has ruled on classified records leaks and gruesome MS-13 gang murders. Now, his reputation for quiet observation and exacting legal knowledge will be thrust into the public spotlight during the most high-profile assignment of his career.
U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, known for his stone-faced demeanor on the bench, can sit for hours of legal arguments or witness testimony before asking a single question — a rarity among the judges in the Alexandria courthouse, who are more likely to ply litigants with queries and directions to keep cases moving briskly, in keeping with the district’s moniker as the “Rocket Docket.”
“Always be mindful that judges are no longer advocates,” Nachmanoff told “The Rocket Docket News” in a 2015 interview. “That means that, a lot of the time, they should be quiet and let the lawyers talk.”
That judicial philosophy will be tested in Comey’s case, according to advocates who have appeared before the judge, because of the unusual circumstances under which the former FBI director was indicted and the litany of questions the charges have raised. Comey is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the case at his arraignment Wednesday.
