Two of Judge Aileen Cannon’s colleagues urged her to step aside and not take the Trump classified documents case, but she refused.
The judges who approached Judge Cannon â including the chief judge in the Southern District of Florida, Cecilia M. Altonaga â each asked her to consider whether it would be better if she were to decline the high-profile case, allowing it to go to another judge, the two people said.
But Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, wanted to keep the case and refused the judgesâ entreaties. Her assignment drew attention because she has scant trial experience and had previously shown unusual favor to Mr. Trump by intervening in a way that helped him in the criminal investigation that led to his indictment, only to be reversed in a sharply critical rebuke by a conservative appeals court panel.
Cannon has been rightly and often criticized her mishandling of the case and favoritism toward Trump. The NYT story should only provide more incentive for Special Counsel Jack Smith to petition the appeals court to remove Cannon from the case. Smith has not been able to make such a request yet because Cannon has not given him the grounds to seek her removal.
Of the four judges who have or are criminally prosecuting Trump, Cannon has shown the most bias and favoritism toward the ex-president. Cannon has delayed the trial and refused to set a trial date.
Trump has gotten everything he could have wanted and more from Aileen Cannon, which is why she is the only judge in his criminal cases about whom he has not said a single bad word.
Aileen Cannon should not be presiding over the classified documents case. Thanks to Cannon’s stalling for Trump, it will take a Joe Biden election victory for Trump to ever justice.
