The D.C. District Court judge who presided over the Justice Department’s prosecution of Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn announced on Thursday that he intends to retire.
Judge Emmet Sullivan, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, informed President Biden in a letter that he is moving to senior status, giving Biden the opportunity to select his replacement. Sullivan, in addition to the Flynn case, Sullivan also took charge in keeping alive prosecution of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Sullivan joins a growing list of judges either retiring or moving to senior status as Biden prepares to soften the effects of then-President Donald Trump’s historic number of judicial appointments. Since Biden took office, 11 judges have announced their decision to retire, with the first making her move only hours after his inauguration.
Sullivan made headlines in the Flynn case, when, at one point, he exploded on the former Army general in the courtroom. When Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts during the 2016 election, Sullivan said he was unable to hide “my disgust, my disdain, for this criminal offense.”
“Arguably, you sold your country out,” Sullivan told Flynn.
Sullivan’s involvement in the case earned him national notoriety. He, at one point, enlisted the protection of the U.S. Marshals Service after receiving a series of death threats.
Sullivan also presided over four lawsuits against the U.S. Postal Service in the lead-up to the 2020 election.
