Meet the chief federal judge overseeing several high-profile Trump grand jury probes

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/10/ [login to see] /trump-judge-james-boasberg
Almost from the start of his tenure this year as chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C., weighty legal issues arrived on the desk of James "Jeb" Boasberg.

Boasberg, 60, presides over a building where trials of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are underway, as are grand jury investigations of former President Trump.

In one of his first official acts, Chief Judge Boasberg issued what could become a landmark ruling that directs former Vice President Mike Pence to testify about his contacts with Trump in the days before the insurrection.

The decision, which is still sealed, turned away an executive privilege challenge from Trump, but honored some boundaries Pence tried to erect in terms of his role presiding over the Senate on that chaotic day. Pence recently announced he would not appeal, setting up the prospect he could within weeks tell a grand jury about the pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 election.

Former prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said based on what he's read, Boasberg's decision is both proper and savvy, because it deftly recognizes complex legal issues and shortcuts Trump's efforts at delay.