Both of the judges drawn for the Trump-Russia defendants were appointed by President Barack Obama. These judges are Amy Berman and Randolph Moss. Because of the federal rule concerning related cases, there is a likelihood (though not a certainty) that future prosecutions of other defendants will also be tried before one or both of these two judges.
Judge Amy Berman is the judge for Paul Manafort and his confederate. Judge Bermand is a Harvard Law graduate. She worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in D.C. where she focused on murder trials and sexual harassment cases. She has also worked for two large corporate law firms where she specialized in criminal investigations, criminal law and trials. As a private lawyer, Judge Berman defendant former Congressman Willie Jefferson, who was convicted of bribery after being found with approximately $100,000 in his freezer. As a judge Berman sentenced former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. to prison. She ruled that the Catholic Archdiocese cover birth control for its employees and she dismissed cases brought against Hillary Clinton by parents of people killed at Benghazi.
Judge Moss has been assigned the case of Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos, who has pleaded guilty. He is a Yale Law graduate and clerked for former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. President Obama appointed Judge Moss in 2014 and he was confirmed after Harry Reid filed for cloture, which was invoked. Before he became a judge, Moss worked for the major D.C. corporate firm (a Democratic firm) of Wilmer Cutler where he chaired and supervised its Wilmer Cutler’s lobbying arm. Judge Moss has also worked for the U.S. Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel and as a Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney.