U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York who presided over the criminal trial of United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell.
Appointed to the bench by President Obama in 2011, Nathan managed a complex trial that included testimony from four accusers and extensive document evidence. The six-week trial concluded on December 29, 2021, with the jury convicting Maxwell on five of six counts, including sex trafficking of a minor. Nathan sentenced Maxwell to 20 years in federal prison on June 28, 2022.
She also oversaw the unsealing of thousands of pages of Giuffre v. Maxwell civil case documents in January 2024, which revealed the names of dozens of prominent individuals. Nathan denied Maxwell's motions for a new trial and upheld the conviction.
She was praised for her even-handed management of intense media attention and complex legal proceedings throughout the trial.