Who is U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika?

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika — appointed by former President Donald Trump — is the federal judge presiding over Hunter Biden’s case.

Noreika came up as a patent lawyer in Delaware, according to her federal court biography, and earned support from state senators for her 2017 nomination to the court. She was confirmed to her seat — replacing Judge Gregory Sleet upon his retirement — in August 2018.

» READ MORE: Hunter Biden will plead guilty to federal tax charges Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know.

She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1993 and holds additional degrees from Columbia and Lehigh Universities.

Her campaign donations have spanned both parties since 1999, including donations to Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Mitt Romney over the years, as noted by CNN.

According to federal campaign finance records, Noreika has made at least $15,000 in donations to political candidates since 2005.

Noreika’s appointment by Trump has been used as a point refuting hard-right politicians’ allegations that Biden is receiving a “sweetheart deal.” The case is also being investigated by Trump appointee David Weiss.

This isn’t Noreika’s first time presiding over a Biden-affiliated case.

She threw out part of a defamation lawsuit against Biden in March, according to the New York Times. At the time, the owner of a Delaware computer repair shop said Biden and President Joe Biden’s campaign team defamed him when they said the New York Post story about the laptop’s contents was Russian propaganda.