The federal judge assigned to James Comey’s criminal case will be overseeing the most high-profile and politically fraught trial in President Donald Trump’s second term.

But US District Judge Michael Nachmanoff’s fourth-degree black belt in Shotokan Fudokan karate will undoubtedly come in handy as the nation and the White House scrutinize his every move in the Comey case. Shotokan karate emphasizes the need to remain calm under pressure.

In interviews with CNN, people who know and have worked with Nachmanoff, including lawyers who have appeared before him, describe the judge as an unflappable jurist who is particularly well-equipped to handle the Comey case – and the attention it will bring to his courtroom.

Nachmanoff, an appointee of former President Joe Biden whose courthouse is in Alexandria, Virginia, has set Comey’s arraignment for Wednesday morning. The former FBI director was indicted last month on federal charges of giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding for allegedly lying to Congress during testimony in 2020.

Comey is expected to plead not guilty.

The case was brought less than a week after Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his political rivals — specifically naming Comey. That also came after Trump forced out the US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, who had resisted