YouTube/Newsmax Judge Bruce Reinhart
Who appointed Bruce Reinhart, the Florida magistrate judge who signed off on the controversial raid of former President Trump’s private home?
On Twitter, some people have falsely stated that Reinhart was appointed by Trump. But that’s not true. Magistrate judges in Florida are appointed through a different process.
According to Politico, Trump lawyer Christina Bobb revealed that Reinhart, a magistrate judge, was the official who signed off on the warrant. She also told the news site that agents “removed about a dozen boxes of materials from the property.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Reinhart Was Appointed by Other District Judges
According to Ballotpedia, Reinhart “is a magistrate judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He was appointed to the court on March 19, 2018, and his current term will expire on March 18, 2026.”
He is a graduate of Princeton University. He received a law degree from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1987, according to Ballotpedia, which said he was an attorney in private practice before becoming a judge.
A press release issued by the U.S. District Court in Florida when Reinhart was appointed to be a magistrate judge gives a lengthy professional biography for him.
It says he was appointed to the position by the court’s “district judges.”
The bio continues:
His practice predominantly involved criminal defense in federal and state court, including white collar criminal defense work, representing subjects of Government investigations, and civil/complex litigation. In addition to his private practice, Mr. Reinhart previously served on the Court’s CJA Panel representing indigent criminal defendants, served as an Ethics Commissioner on the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, and provided pro bono representation through the Clemency Project 2014, which was a program jointly established by numerous bar associations to assist federal prisoners with clemency applications.
From 1996 to 2008, Mr. Reinhart served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, ultimately reaching the position of Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney. In addition to supervision duties, he managed a docket that covered the full spectrum of federal crimes, including narcotics, violent crimes, public corruption, financial frauds, child pornography and immigration.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, from 1994-1996, Mr. Reinhart served as Senior Policy Advisor, Acting Director of the Office of Policy Development and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. While there, he primarily focused on analyzing law enforcement policy proposals and was primarily responsible for drafting the Treasury Department’s law enforcement strategic plan.
Mr. Reinhart also worked as a trial attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. from 1988-1994. While at the Department of Justice, he conducted all aspects of public integrity investigations and prosecutions nationwide. Mr. Reinhart’s career at the Department of Justice commenced with his acceptance into the Attorney General’s prestigious Honor Program, which admitted only six of 2500 applicants. Mr. Reinhart’s legal career began in 1987-1988 as a law clerk to the Honorable Norma L. Shapiro, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania…
The announcement of Mr. Reinhart’s selection culminates a broad search process that began in August of 2017. The Court appointed a selection panel, comprised of leaders in the legal community as well as non-lawyers in the community, to assist with the selection process. 64 well-qualified individuals applied. The selection panel reviewed all 64 submissions and elected to interview 15 candidates in person. Following these interviews, the selection panel recommended five finalists to the Court. The district judges interviewed the five finalists in November of last year. The Court selected Mr. Reinhart to fill the vacant magistrate judgeship. Mr. Reinhart’s selection was not previously announced pending completion of an FBI and IRS background investigation report, as is standard to the appointment process.
Reinhart’s Wife Was Appointed to a Judgeship by a Republican Governor
On his Facebook page, Reinhart shared a 2018 press release announcing that his wife had been appointed to a judicial position. She was appointed to the bench by then-Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican.
That press release describes Reinhart’s wife, Carolyn Bell, as a former assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida who previously served as a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. She received bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of California at Berkeley.
“So proud of my wife!” the post reads. “A dedicated public servant for almost 3 decades. She will be a phenomenal judge. The citizens of Palm Beach County and the State of Florida are blessed and lucky to have her. Thanks to everyone who supported her candidacy, and a special thanks to Governor Rick Scott and his team for placing their confidence in her.”
His wife has only one tribute post visible on her Facebook page.
Reinhart Donated Money to Barack Obama & Jeb Bush
FEC
Reinhart donated money to a prominent Democrat and Republican; however, the Republican, Jeb Bush, was a Republican primary opponent of Trump’s.
Reinhart has donated money both to former President Obama, a Democrat, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a Republican, according to federal campaign finance records.
FEC
In 2017, the judge wrote on Facebook, “It’s embarrassing to live in a state that is less enlightened on criminal justice than Louisiana and Mississippi.”