On July 15, the day the Republican National Convention began, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump. Does anyone believe the dismissal on this day is a coincidence? I certainly do not.
Right from the top, I believe that Judge Cannon is either completely incompetent or in the pocket of Donald Trump. I, and others, can see no legal or rational reasons for her rulings and conduct in the classified documents case other than maleficence. If we just reflect on the opinions of long-serving and creditable legal scholars about her conduct in the case, a conclusion can be reasonably drawn that Judge Cannon was and is biased toward Trump. Cannon’s early rulings in the case were not only unexpected but legally flawed. On appeal of her first decisions, a conservative appeals court repeatedly reversed her rulings in a lawsuit brought by Trump to have a third-party review of the classified documents.
“Cannon’s rulings in the 2022 lawsuit were so “outside the bounds” that “people rightly became suspicious of her motives,” said Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney in the Obama administration.
“I think the evidence is just too overwhelming…..Yes, she may be incompetent, but at this stage of the game, you know, her incompetence is so gross that I think it clearly creates the perception … of partiality and her attempt to put her thumb on the scale,” Ty Cobb former lawyer for the Trump White House.
“It’s such a clearly wrong legal argument…It’s hard to make sense of what she’s doing here.” Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney.
Whether you are a fan of Trump or not, whether or not you believe he is innocent or guilty, you should agree that justice must be free of political pressure and political payback. I cannot cite a single source not directly connected to Trump that believes this case has been handled with the appropriate level of judicial prudence. It makes me wonder, are all the legal scholars in this country wrong, or is Judge Cannon incompetent or in Trump's pocket? I believe history will acknowledge the latter—unless, of course, Trump wins in November and the Republic dies.
The Office of the President of the United States is all about honor and integrity, and Trump has neither. Thus ends the lesson.
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I have listed below just some of the facts of Cannon’s mishandling in this case, you be the judge.
· 2020: Judge Cannon was appointed to the federal Bench by Donald Trump.
· December 1, 2022: The three-judge 11th Circuit panel said Cannon lacked the authority to grant Trump's request for a special master.
· March 17, 2023: U.S. Judge Beryl Howell writes that prosecutors had made a prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations. "In a sharply critical decision, a three-member panel of the appeals court said Judge Cannon never had the proper jurisdiction to intervene in the case and order the review.”
· June 9, 2023: Special Counsel issues a 37-count indictment against Trump.
· June 9, 2023: Chris Christy called the facts in the Trump indictment “devastating.”
· June 18, 2023: Former Attorney General Bill Barr calls the charges against Trump a "slam dunk."
· June 20, 2023: Judge Cannon sets a new tentative trial date for August 14, 2023.
· July 21, 2023: Judge Cannon schedules the trial date for May 20, 2023.
· August 7, 2023: Judge Cannon raises questions about Smith's use of another grand jury.
· October 6, 2023: Judge Cannon pauses any litigation involving the classified materials at the center of the case as she considers a request from Trump to extend deadlines in the case, according to a court order
· November 10, 2023: Judge Cannon pauses any litigation involving the classified materials at the center of the case as she considers Trump's request to extend deadlines in the case.
· March 2024: Two of Judge Cannon’s law clerks suddenly resign.
· March 14, 2024: Judge Cannon denies Trump’s motion to dismiss the case.
· April 4, 2024: Judge Cannon denies Trump’s motion to dismiss the case for the second time.
· May 7, 2024: Judge Cannon indefinitely postpones the trial.
· May 28, 2024: Judge Cannon denies Special Counsel request for Trump gag order.
· June 21-25, 2024: Judge Cannon hears arguments for case dismissal on the grounds that the Special Prosecutor was unlawfully appointed.
· July 1, 2024: As of this date, Judge Cannon has yet to decide more than a dozen motions that have significant implications for the criminal case.
· July 15, 2024: Thirteen months after the indictment was filed, Judge Cannon dismissed it in a 93-page decision. She cited Judge Clarence Thomas three times in her ruling.