Controversial Judge Who Threw Out Trump's Classified Docs Case Is Now on His Shortlist for Attorney General: Report

Mar. 15, 2025

Judge Aileen Cannon; Donald Trump.Photo:HANDOUT/US District Court for the Southe/AFP via Getty; Tasos Katopodis/Getty

The official portrait of Judge Aileen Cannon provided by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida taken in 2021. Cannon, on July 21, 2023, ordered the jury trial of former Donald Trump’s trial for mishandling top secret documents to begin on May 20, 2024; US President Donald Trump speaks at the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit on December 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. The president signed an executive order stating the US would provide vaccines to Americans before aiding other nations.

HANDOUT/US District Court for the Southe/AFP via Getty; Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Cannon previously made headlines, and came under the scrutiny of fellow legal professionals, in July after she ruled that Trump’s federal classified documents trial would be dismissed because she believed special counsel Jack Smith’s “appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.”

The federal classified documents case against the former president centered on how he handled top-secret documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office, and saw him facing 40 felony counts — including aviolation of the Espionage Act.

Judge Aileen Mercedes.Shutterstock

Aileen Mercedes Cannon affirms her oath as she testifies remotely before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on her nomination to Be United States District Judge For The Southern District Of Florida in Washington, DC. Judge Cannon has ordered a special master to oversee the dispute between the US Department of Justice and former former US President Donald J. Trump concerning documents seized during a raid at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Aileen Cannon Confirmtion Hearing, Washington, District of Columbia, USA - 29 Jul 2020

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In her filing, Cannon, who had previously faced accusations of being biased toward Trump, offered a criticism of how the executive branch handled the case, particularly the appointment of a special counsel.

Prior to the widely criticized July dismissal, Cannon also came under fire for her unusual treatment of the criminal case, which included delays and inviting outside groups to weigh in. At the time, Gertner toldThe Hillthat Cannon’s handling of the high-profile case was “clearly in Trump’s interest.”

“There’s nothing — nothing — about the way she has handled the case that is normal, that is usual, and that makes a degree of sense — except that she’s just so inexperienced or second, that she’s just not confident, or third, that she is so biased to Trump,” she toldThe Hillin June.

Donald Trump in court in April 2024.Angela Weiss/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Former US President Donald Trump, left, at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Monday, April 15, 2024.

Angela Weiss/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Months after Cannon tossed the charges, a public interest group argued in a filing that her decision should be reversed and she should be removed from the case altogether in order to “preserve the appearance of justice,” ProPublica reported.

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The filing also alleged that Cannon dismissed “a landmark Supreme Court opinion confirming the Attorney General’s power to appoint a Special Counsel,” and was the culmination of her “many efforts to undermine and derail the prosecution of this case.”

source: people.com

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