The federal judge presiding over Hunter Biden’s criminal case has forbidden all contact with the court clerk’s office amid impersonation accusations and the unauthorized release of personal information.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika threatened to sanction the first son’s legal team over allegations that one of his attorneys had misrepresented herself to the court clerk’s office.
In issuing her July 28 order, Judge Noreika noted that another attorney had unwittingly disclosed the personal contact information of a clerk’s office staff member on the public docket.
“The Clerk’s Office for this Court is staffed by many hardworking and dedicated employees,” she wrote. “They are often the public face of this Court and must address many different, and often difficult, issues on any given day. Their jobs are not always easy, but they do these jobs well. They have earned my trust and my respect. I will not tolerate or countenance them being ill-used, disrespected, or lied to.”
In light of those missteps, the judge ordered that, going forward, all inquiries be brought to her attention instead of the clerk’s office.
“Any such issues and inquiries shall be submitted in writing and placed on the docket,” she said. “To the extent that the rare instance arises in which a writing is not practicable, a phone call may be made to my Chambers by an attorney who represents one of the parties in these cases or an interested third party.”
Impersonation Allegations
In the lead-up to Mr. Biden’s first court appearance, a member of his legal team was accused of impersonating counsel for House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who filed an amicus brief in the case.
According to Theodore Kittila, the congressman’s attorney, the court clerk’s office received a call from Jessica Bengels of New York-based Latham and Watkins, who requested that information submitted by Mr. Kittila be removed from the court docket. During that call, Ms. Bengels reportedly claimed to work for Mr. Kittila’s firm.
After learning of the call from the clerk’s office, Mr. Kittila notified Judge Noreika in a July 25 letter. The judge, in turn, demanded an explanation for the trick.
