Judge Tanya Chutkan
District of Columbia U.S. District Court
Tanya Sue Chutkan was born in July 1962 in Kingston, Jamaica. She earned an undergraduate degree from George Washington University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
She went into private practice, then she became a trial attorney and supervisor in the District of Columbia’s Public Defender Service. Chutkan became a partner at a firm, focusing her practice on complex civil litigation cases.
Chutkan was nominated by President Barack Obama to a seat on the District of Columbia U.S. District Court. She was confirmed by the Senate and received her commission in June 2014.
Chutkan is divorced from Peter Krauthamer, with whom she has two sons.
In the News…
Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia U.S. District Court refused to grant a request for a temporary restraining order from 14 state attorneys general suing to stop Elon Musk and DOGE from accessing federal data as they perform audits of government agencies and departments. They requested a restraining order to halt the ability of Musk to cancel government contracts or dismiss federal employees.
“Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight,” Judge Chutkan said. “In these circumstances, it must be indisputable that this court acts within the bounds of its authority. Accordingly, it cannot issue a TRO, especially one as wide-ranging as the Plaintiff’s request, without clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm to these Plaintiffs. The current record does not meet that standard.”
Judge Chutkan noted that the states relied primarily on news outlets for their arguments and did not present actual sources, stating, “The courts can’t act based on media reports. We can’t do that.” She indicated the willingness to place a block against DOGE if more compelling evidence were produced.
Attorney Joshua Gardner of the Justice Department maintained that Musk has fired no one, but that federal officials in their respective agencies and departments with authority to do so have conducted the terminations. He stated, “There is not a single instance of Elon Musk in his own name or the [U.S. DOGE Service] commanding any of these actions at all.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Chutkan today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Tanya Chutkan
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
