United States magistrate judges are appointed by the federal judges of the district in which they serve. They are not subject to nomination by the president or confirmation by the Senate. They help process cases for trial before an Article III judge.
The federal bench of the District of Columbia has to answer for this guy. Fox News reports in a post on X regarding D.C. United States Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui:
Judge apologizes in court to WHCA Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said that he was “fascinated and disturbed” by Allen’s treatment in jail.
Allen was placed on suicide watch when he was first imprisoned. Prosecutors argued that since Allen told investigators he did not expect to survive the alleged attack, he could be a danger to himself.
But an incredulous Faruqui wasn’t convinced by that argument, drawing comparisons between Allen and defendants arrested for rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“To me, it’s extremely disturbing that he was put in five-point restraints, a person with no criminal history. It’s troubling. I never heard of one Jan. 6 defendant who was put in five-point restraints or in a safe cell. If the only way to keep him safe is the most punitive thing, that’s a problem.”
“At a minimum, I should be apologizing to him. We are obligated to make sure he’s taken care of. Mr. Allen, I’m sorry that things have not been the way they are supposed to.”
This puts me in mind of the lyrics Stephen Sondheim wrote for West Side Story: “Gee, Officer Krupke—Krup you!”
Gee, Judge Faruqui…
NEW: Judge apologizes in court to WHCA Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said that he was “fascinated and disturbed” by Allen's treatment in jail.
Allen was placed on suicide watch when he was first imprisoned. Prosecutors argued that since Allen… pic.twitter.com/3X88PVK45E
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 4, 2026
