Judge accused of anti-Trump bias in Arizona election case involving Trump allies
In emails sent to colleagues, Maricopa County Judge Bruce Cohen expressed support for Kamala Harris while referencing opposition to Nazis.
TroibNews 
The criminal proceedings in Arizona involving several of Donald Trump’s prominent allies are experiencing turmoil this week following the disclosure that the presiding judge urged white male colleagues to oppose attacks on Kamala Harris’ race and gender.
Judge Bruce Cohen likened the current political climate to historical resistance against the Nazis.
In response to the situation, Cohen arranged an urgent courtroom conference for Wednesday to address the case's future after a defendant—represented by a lawyer who has collaborated with the Trump campaign—claimed that Cohen’s remarks warranted his removal from the proceedings.
“While Judge Cohen is entitled to his political opinions and speech,” attorneys David Warrington and Michael Columbo stated on behalf of state Sen. Jake Hoffman, one of the defendants, “his rhetoric and exhortation precisely mirrors the evidence of hostile partisan political zealotry at the heart of the motions to dismiss [the case] that have been languishing before the Court for months.”
This development raises concerns that, just as Trump's federal and local cases are losing momentum, another significant prosecution—where Trump is identified as an unindicted co-conspirator—could also encounter complications.
In April, a grand jury indicted 18 individuals associated with Trump, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Rudy Giuliani, and former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, on charges related to efforts to undermine the 2020 election. Although the grand jury considered charging Trump, prosecutors led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, convinced them not to proceed with such charges.
Warrington’s involvement in attempting to disqualify Cohen is noteworthy, as he is being considered by Trump for the position of White House counsel in a potential future administration. He has defended Trump in several high-profile investigations, including those related to the House’s now-defunct Jan. 6 select committee and a civil lawsuit filed by members of Congress and police officers following the Capitol attack.
The Arizona Daily Independent revealed Cohen's comments after analyzing emails he sent to colleagues in August 2024, where he dismissed attacks on Harris as a “DEI hire” who would misbehave with generals in the Situation Room. He also referred to Trump, commenting that the former president had “made reference to two historical female political figures and made references to a particular sex act and how it impacted their trajectory.”
“It is time for me to state my piece or be complicit in the depravity,” Cohen declared.
Cohen was appointed as a judge in Maricopa County, Arizona, by former Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2005. Since then, he has successfully won several retention elections to maintain his position. Recently, he has indicated that his retirement is approaching.
In the emails obtained by the Arizona Daily Independent, he referenced a well-known post-World War II essay that lamented the failure to speak out against Nazism.
“When we cannot or do not stand with others, the words of Martin Niemoller are no longer a historic reference to the atrocities of WWII; those words describe the present,” Cohen expressed in the report.
Cohen later apologized to colleagues, acknowledging that he should not have shared his views in that setting. While Warrington indicated that the apology appeared sincere, it was insufficient for Cohen to continue overseeing the case.
“[T]hose statements plainly reveal that … Judge Cohen bears a deep-seated personal political bias that overcame his professional judgment, and that he was willing to use the privileges of his office to oppose his perceived political adversaries, which would naturally include the Defendants,” Warrington and Columbo wrote.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
Judge Bruce Cohen likened the current political climate to historical resistance against the Nazis.
In response to the situation, Cohen arranged an urgent courtroom conference for Wednesday to address the case's future after a defendant—represented by a lawyer who has collaborated with the Trump campaign—claimed that Cohen’s remarks warranted his removal from the proceedings.
“While Judge Cohen is entitled to his political opinions and speech,” attorneys David Warrington and Michael Columbo stated on behalf of state Sen. Jake Hoffman, one of the defendants, “his rhetoric and exhortation precisely mirrors the evidence of hostile partisan political zealotry at the heart of the motions to dismiss [the case] that have been languishing before the Court for months.”
This development raises concerns that, just as Trump's federal and local cases are losing momentum, another significant prosecution—where Trump is identified as an unindicted co-conspirator—could also encounter complications.
In April, a grand jury indicted 18 individuals associated with Trump, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Rudy Giuliani, and former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, on charges related to efforts to undermine the 2020 election. Although the grand jury considered charging Trump, prosecutors led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, convinced them not to proceed with such charges.
Warrington’s involvement in attempting to disqualify Cohen is noteworthy, as he is being considered by Trump for the position of White House counsel in a potential future administration. He has defended Trump in several high-profile investigations, including those related to the House’s now-defunct Jan. 6 select committee and a civil lawsuit filed by members of Congress and police officers following the Capitol attack.
The Arizona Daily Independent revealed Cohen's comments after analyzing emails he sent to colleagues in August 2024, where he dismissed attacks on Harris as a “DEI hire” who would misbehave with generals in the Situation Room. He also referred to Trump, commenting that the former president had “made reference to two historical female political figures and made references to a particular sex act and how it impacted their trajectory.”
“It is time for me to state my piece or be complicit in the depravity,” Cohen declared.
Cohen was appointed as a judge in Maricopa County, Arizona, by former Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2005. Since then, he has successfully won several retention elections to maintain his position. Recently, he has indicated that his retirement is approaching.
In the emails obtained by the Arizona Daily Independent, he referenced a well-known post-World War II essay that lamented the failure to speak out against Nazism.
“When we cannot or do not stand with others, the words of Martin Niemoller are no longer a historic reference to the atrocities of WWII; those words describe the present,” Cohen expressed in the report.
Cohen later apologized to colleagues, acknowledging that he should not have shared his views in that setting. While Warrington indicated that the apology appeared sincere, it was insufficient for Cohen to continue overseeing the case.
“[T]hose statements plainly reveal that … Judge Cohen bears a deep-seated personal political bias that overcame his professional judgment, and that he was willing to use the privileges of his office to oppose his perceived political adversaries, which would naturally include the Defendants,” Warrington and Columbo wrote.
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
