ACCESSING CLASSIFIED FILES
Decrypting documents...
Your connection is being monitored
Back to Individuals
low risk
Amy Berman Jackson
U.S. District Judge; Presided Over Roger Stone and Paul Manafort Cases
U.S. District Judge; District of Columbia
Overview
Amy Berman Jackson is a United States District Judge for the District of Columbia; appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011. She became one of the most consequential federal judges in cases arising from Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation and related prosecutions. Jackson presided over the criminal trial of Roger Stone; who was convicted on seven felony counts including witness tampering; obstruction; and lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. She also handled the criminal case against Paul Manafort (Trump's former campaign chairman) in the D.C. jurisdiction; where she revoked his bail and sent him to jail after finding he had tampered with witnesses while under house arrest. She oversaw the guilty plea and cooperation agreement of Rick Gates; Manafort's longtime business partner. Jackson imposed a gag order on Roger Stone in February 2019 after Stone posted an image on Instagram showing crosshairs near her photograph; she found the post threatening but declined to revoke his bail. She sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison in February 2020; after the DOJ controversially intervened to recommend a lighter sentence than career prosecutors had sought; prompting all four prosecutors to withdraw from the case. Trump subsequently commuted Stone's sentence in July 2020 and later issued a full pardon. Before her appointment to the bench; Jackson spent nearly two decades in private practice at Trout & Richards LLP and served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Imposed gag order on Roger Stone after he posted Instagram image showing crosshairs near her photograph; found the post threatening but did not revoke bail
Sentenced Roger Stone to 40 months in prison for seven felony counts; DOJ leadership controversially intervened to seek lighter sentence; all four career prosecutors withdrew in protest
Revoked Paul Manafort's bail and sent him to jail after finding he had tampered with witnesses while on house arrest
Trump publicly criticized Jackson on social media during the Stone and Manafort cases; raising concerns about judicial independence and intimidation
Stone's 40-month sentence was effectively nullified when Trump commuted it in July 2020 and later issued a full pardon in December 2020
Presided over several other politically sensitive cases including civil challenges to Trump administration FOIA compliance
Related Investigations (1)
Known Associates & Connections
Roger Stone
Defendant; convicted on seven felony counts in Jackson's courtroom
Paul Manafort
Defendant; bail revoked by Jackson for witness tampering
Rick Gates
Defendant who pleaded guilty and cooperated; case overseen by Jackson
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- 1954
- Birthplace
- New York; New York; USA
Education
- •Harvard University; BA (1976)
- •Harvard Law School; JD (1979)
Key Timeline
1954
Born in New York; New York
1979
Graduates from Harvard Law School
1980
Joins U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. as Assistant U.S. Attorney
March 2011
Nominated to U.S. District Court by President Obama
September 2015
Manafort case assigned to Jackson in D.C. jurisdiction
June 15; 2018
Revokes Paul Manafort's bail and orders him jailed for witness tampering while on house arrest
February 15; 2019
Issues gag order on Roger Stone after Instagram post showing crosshairs near her image
November 15; 2019
Roger Stone convicted on all seven felony counts at trial
February 20; 2020
Sentences Stone to 40 months after DOJ intervention controversy; rebukes both Stone and DOJ leadership
July 10; 2020
Trump commutes Stone's sentence before he reports to prison