In addition to being an Obama-appointee, U.S. District Judge Christopher “Casey” Cooper is one of the most well-connected men among the Democratic elite in Washington, D.C.
Before being confirmed as a judge in 2013, Cooper worked on Obama’s election campaign and served as a legal advisor on Obama’s transition team. He is married to Amy Jeffress, a lawyer who was also the National Security Adviser to former Attorney General Eric Holder. In 2019, Jeffress represented FBI lawyer Lisa Page who, along with paramour Peter Strzok, became the faces of the FBI’s anti-Trump sting operation culture.
Cooper and Jeffress were married in 1999 by current Attorney General Merrick Garland.
When he was an undergraduate at Yale, Cooper’s roommate and close friend was John Rice, whose sister Susan Rice became Obama’s National Security Advisor.
Cooper’s brother-in-law is Jonathan Jeffress, a well-known public defender in D.C.
As an attorney, Cooper spent much of his career representing powerful elite clients against smaller entities. From 2002-2010, Cooper successfully defended senior Saudi Arabian officials against victims of 9/11 and their families. From 2000-2002, Cooper represented major aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation Lockheed Martin. From 2003-2006, Cooper represented goliath oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. He also represented Hughes Space and Communications Inc.
So, when Judge Casey Cooper started being assigned to judge January 6 cases, the Democratic Party couldn't be more hopeful.
Cooper did not disappoint.
Last week, the judge sentenced attorney and physician Dr. Simone Gold to 60 days in federal prison, one-year supervised release and a $9,500 fine, the largest fine ever given to Capitol demonstrators. Under the heavy weight of a deeply biased media narrative and politicized justice system, Dr. Gold had accepted a plea deal to misdemeanor “Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds” for being inside the Capitol building on January 6th.
But the judge’s remarks suggest he is misinformed about the events that took place that day.
During sentencing, Judge Cooper chastised Dr. Gold for not being remorseful “about the five people who died that day,” a falsehood often repeated by the media. Only one person died during the demonstrations during January 6th – demonstrator Ashli Babbitt, who was shot at close range by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd.
He also referenced four people who committed suicide afterward.
Cooper has also become oddly fixated on America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS), a non-profit civil liberties organization founded by Dr. Gold, which does not follow the U.S. government’s messaging on COVID-19. According to a statement by AFLDS, Cooper “was personally offended that millions of American citizens freely chose to financially support her political positions in defending medical choice and freedom of speech.”
Cooper also refused to acknowledge any political persecution of Dr. Gold after her door was broken during arrest by over a dozen law enforcement officers armed with assault rifles.
In March, Cooper sentenced protester Eduardo Nicolas Alvear Gonzalez, who is known for having smoked marijuana in the Capitol rotunda on January 6th, to two-years probation.
In November, Cooper also sentenced protester Jenna Ryan to 60 days in Federal prison for trespassing in the Capitol on January 6th.
In February, Cooper sentenced protester Traci Sunstrum to three years of probation, 30 days of home confinement and $500 restitution.
During the 2018 confirmation hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh who was the target of unsubstantiated sexual harassment claims by Christine Ford, hundreds stormed the Capitol building to interfere with the Senate hearings.
While many arrests were made, none of the rioters were accused of insurrection. Those who were detained – including celebrities Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski – were penalized with a $50 fine.
