Who Is Bruce Reinhart, the Judge Who Approved the Mar-a-Lago Search?

Judge Reinhart has faced a wave of criticism, disinformation and online threats over his involvement in the F.B.I.s raid.

Ever since the F.B.I. searched the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald J. Trump for classified documents, the federal judge in Florida who signed the warrant authorizing the move, Bruce E. Reinhart, has been thrust into the spotlight.

His suggestion on Thursday that he was inclined to unseal parts of the affidavit used to justify the search warrant once the government proposed redactions only intensified the scrutiny.

Judge Reinhart has already faced a torrent of criticism from Republicans and become the subject of disinformation and online attacks, many of them anti-Semitic. His approval of the search warrant, right-wing critics contend, was a partisan attempt to harass a former president.

Prominent Republicans, including Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, quickly denounced Judge Reinhart for a political donation he had made to President Barack Obama in 2008. (He has also donated to Republicans, including the former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, during his presidential campaign in 2015).

But as a magistrate judge, Judge Reinhart made a decision typical of his responsibilities, according to legal experts, who say the job often supports district court judges with tasks like reviewing warrants.

More Coverage of the F.B.I. Search of Trumps Home

• Trump-F.B.I. Conflict: The Mar-a-Lago search was a dramatic moment after years of tumult between Mr. Trump and the nations intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
• Shifting Explanations: Mr.Trump and his allies have given often conflicting defenses of his retention of classified documentswithout addressing why he had kept them.
• Trumps Reaction: In the wake of the search, Mr. Trump has accused the nations justice system of being exactly what he tried to turn it into: a political weapon for a president.
• Pence Speaks Out: In response to Republican outrage over the F.B.I.s search, the former vice president called on members of his party to stop attacking the nations top law enforcement agencies.

He was sworn in as a magistrate judge for the Southern District of Florida in 2018.