The Delaware federal judge likely to sign off on Hunter Biden’s guilty plea next month was nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump — but was backed by the First State’s two Democratic senators and has donated to both parties.
US District Judge Maryellen Noreika was randomly assigned to preside over a hearing on the first son’s plea deal, which is set for July 26 in Wilmington federal court.
Between 2005 and 2014, Noreika donated $15,500 to candidates across the political spectrum, per Federal Election Commission records.
Those donations include $5,200 to Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) 2014 Senate campaign, $5,000 to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, $2,300 to John McCain’s presidential run in 2008, and $1,000 to former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) in 2006.
On the Democratic side, Noreika donated $1,000 to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and $1,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2009, according to the FEC.
At the time of the donations, Noreika was an attorney at the Wilmington firm of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. She was nominated for a federal judgeship by Trump in December 2017.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who backed Noreika’s nomination along with Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), is a co-chair of President Biden’s re-election campaign.
Coons and Carper gave the Pittsburgh native a “blue slip” indicating their support, paving the way for her to clear the Senate nomination process within a matter of months.
“This is great news for Delaware’s federal courts as we become one step closer to having a filled bench,” Coons after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Noreika’s nomination in March 2018, describing her as a “talented, capable” jurist.
Carper, who is set to retire after the 2024 election, similarly commended her as a “highly-respected, sought-after” attorney who “displayed a vast knowledge of the law and a thorough understanding of the courts.”
Noreika, who was confirmed in August 2018, will be tasked with deciding whether or not to accept Hunter Biden’s plea deal with Delaware US Attorney David Weiss, which was revealed in court filings last week.
Under the agreement, the first son will plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of intentionally failing to pay his federal income taxes. Each count carries a potential penalty of up to 12 months behind bars though prosecutors are likely to ask for probation.
Hunter Biden, 53, has also agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement for a felony count of illegally possessing a firearm while addicted to illicit drugs. That carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, though the count is likely to be expunged if Hunter completes a two-year probationary period.
Top Republicans such as Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) have decried the agreement as a “slap on the wrist.”
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has also floated the prospect of impeaching Attorney General Merrick Garland over allegations of Justice Department interference in the case.