Aileen Cannon
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Assumed office
November 13, 2020
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byKenneth Marra
Personal details
Born
Aileen Mercedes Cannon

1981 (age 42–43)
Cali, Colombia
Political partyRepublican
Education

Aileen Mercedes Cannon (born 1981) is a Colombian-born American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida since 2020. Cannon worked for the corporate law firm Gibson Dunn from 2009 to 2012 and was a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida from 2013 to 2020. She was nominated by then President Donald Trump to become a district judge and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2020.

In 2022, Cannon presided over the case of Donald J. Trump v. United States of America. She ordered the U.S. government to pause using materials seized from Trump's private club and residence, Mar-a-Lago in its investigation and granted Trump's request for a special master to review the material. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed Cannon's order after it found she had wrongly exercised jurisdiction over the case. Cannon then dismissed Trump's lawsuit per instructions from the Eleventh Circuit.

Following an indictment in June 2023, Cannon has been overseeing federal criminal case against Trump. Some legal experts, citing her handling of the civil case against Trump, have called for her recusal from the case.

Early life and education

Aileen Mercedes Cannon was born in 1981 in Cali, Colombia.[1][2] Her mother had fled Cuba as a girl, after the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s.[2] Her father is from Indiana.[3] Cannon has an elder sister.[3] Cannon grew up in Miami, Florida, where she attended Ransom Everglades School, a private school.[2][3]

Cannon graduated from Duke University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts. In college, she studied for a semester in Spain and wrote for Miami's Spanish language newspaper El Nuevo Herald; her writings included topics such as flamenco dancing, festivals, and yoga.[1][3][4] Cannon then attended the University of Michigan Law School, where she was an articles editor for the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform and was a quarter-finalist in the school's moot court competition.[5] She graduated in 2007 with a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, and Order of the Coif membership.[1][3][5]

Cannon has been a member of the conservative and libertarian Federalist Society since 2005, when she was a law student.[2][6] While being considered for the position of a district judge in 2020, Cannon explained that she joined the Federalist Society because of a "diversity of viewpoints" and also because she "found interesting the organization's discussions about the constitutional separation of powers, the rule of law, and the limited role of the judiciary to say what the law is—not to make the law".[1][6][7]

Career

From 2008 to 2009, Cannon served as a law clerk for Steven Colloton, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Iowa.[2] From 2009 to 2012, she was an associate at the Washington, D.C. office of the corporate law firm Gibson Dunn.[1][8] In one case in 2011, Cannon defended the former leader of the fixed income desk of Thomas Weisel Partners, before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; the former leader was cleared of fraud in the case.[9]

From 2013 to 2020, Cannon was an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida.[10] As a federal prosecutor, Cannon worked in the major crimes division, which included working on drug, firearm, and immigration cases, then moved to the appellate division, working on convictions and sentencings.[3][7] In 2018, Cannon was part of the prosecution that won an appellate case involving Mutual Benefits Corporation's former lawyer Anthony Livoti Jr., reaffirming his 10-year sentence for fraud related to insurance investment.[11][12] In 2019, Cannon was part of the prosecution that won an appellate case involving Scott W. Rothstein, which allowed prosecutors to withdraw support for reducing his 50-year sentence for a Ponzi scheme.[13] As a prosecutor, Cannon helped secure convictions for 41 defendants, of which four convictions were from jury trials.[14]

Federal judicial service

In June 2019, the office of Senator Marco Rubio indicated to Cannon that he was considering her for a position of United States district judge.[8] Cannon expressed interest that month, and subsequently was interviewed by representatives for Senator Rubio and Senator Rick Scott, as well as White House and Justice Department legal officials.[8]

On May 21, 2020, at age 39, Cannon was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.[15][6][7][16] She was nominated to the seat left vacant by Judge Kenneth Marra, who assumed senior status on August 1, 2017.[17][18] The American Bar Association rated Cannon as "Qualified" for the position.[19] The American Bar Association required at least 12 years of law practice as one of their approval criteria, and Cannon just met that standard.[2][4][6] While being vetted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cannon described her judicial philosophy as originalist and textualist.[7]

On July 29, 2020, a hearing was held before the United States Judiciary Committee.[20] Law360 reported that Cannon "avoided scrutiny" during her July 2020 Senate confirmation hearing as the senators "took it easy" on her; the hearing featured five judicial nominees, with Republican senators focused on questioning J. Philip Calabrese and Democratic senators focused on questioning Toby Crouse; later Democratic senators sent Cannon many follow-up questions to answer.[14][21]

On September 17, 2020, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–6 vote.[22] On November 12, 2020, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 57–21 vote.[23] Later that day, Cannon was confirmed by a 56–21 vote.[24][1] She received her commission on November 13, 2020.[25][26]

Notable cases

It was reported in June 2021 that Cannon ordered Swiss cement company LafargeHolcim to reach a settlement to compensate an American family under the Helms-Burton Act for using the family's property in Cuba, which had been seized by the Cuban government in 1960. Before Cannon's order, no one had managed to secure compensation under the Helms-Burton Act for business property confiscated in Cuba.[27]

In the case of Christopher Tavorris Wilkins, a 34-year-old man from Palm Beach Gardens who, in court, threw a chair at and threatened to kill a federal prosecutor, Cannon in April 2022 added six and a half years of imprisonment to his existing 17.5 year sentence for gun charges.[28]

In the case of Paul Vernon Hoeffer, a 60-year-old man from Palm Beach Gardens who pleaded guilty to making death threats against three Democrats: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and prosecutor Kim Foxx, with federal sentencing guidelines recommending 33 and 41 months in prison, and prosecutors proposing 41 months, Cannon in April 2022 sentenced Hoeffer to 18 months in prison and then three years of supervised release, and also fined him $2,000.[6][29][30]

In the case of Juan Antonio Garcia, a 31-year-old former Sewall's Point police officer, Cannon in July 2022 sentenced him to 25 years in federal prison, a further 20 years of supervision, and a $10,000 fine for soliciting sex from a teenage boy. Sentencing guidelines imposed a range of between 15 years in prison to a life sentence, while federal prosecutors requested over 30 years imprisonment.[31]

In the ongoing 18 month-long case of United States v. Carver, Cannon has presided over a complex, multi-defendant health care fraud case in which she has had to rule on issues of attorney-client privilege, defense attempts to suppress evidence or have charges dismissed, and motions to limit the scope of witness testimony. She has generally ruled in the prosecution's favor in each of these matters.[32]

In a 2023 federal trial of an Alabama man accused of running a child pornography website, Cannon closed the jury selection to the public on the basis of space restrictions and also failed to swear in the jury. This was described as "a fundamental constitutional error" by legal experts. According to court transcripts from June 12, 2023, Cannon was repeatedly asked by both prosecutors and the defense attorney to open the courtroom. The public defense attorney objected to closing the courtroom, arguing that doing so violates the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which Cannon overruled. She was forced to restart the jury selection process before the trial ended in a plea bargain without the jury deliberating. The courtroom in which this took place is the same one in which the 2024 criminal trial United States v. Trump is set to take place, which prompted concern from one legal scholar about how Cannon will handle space restrictions.[33]

Trump v. United States, civil case

See also: Trump v. United States (2022)

Cannon heard the case of Trump v. United States (2022),[34] which began on August 22, 2022, when former U.S. president Donald Trump asked the court to appoint a special master to review materials seized during the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago earlier that month.[35] On August 27, before hearing argument from the Justice Department, Cannon declared her "preliminary intent" to appoint a special master.[36][37][38][39] Two days later, the Justice Department told Cannon it had already completed its review of materials that could have fallen under attorney–client privilege.[39][40][41][42]

On September 5, 2022, Cannon granted Trump's request for a special master to review the seized materials for attorney-client privilege and executive privilege and ordered the Justice Department to stop using the seized material in its investigation until the special master's review was complete or until a further court order.[43][44] In her ruling, Cannon cited exceptional "stigma associated with the subject seizure", since Trump was a former president, as well as the potential for great "reputational harm" from any future indictment based on "property that ought to be returned".[6][45][46]

Legal experts, including University of California law professor Orin Kerr, University of Texas School of Law professor Steve Vladeck, and George Mason University professor Mark J. Rozell, voiced surprise at Cannon's ruling or found it problematic.[47][48][49] Law360 eventually named this case one of ten "major legal ethics cases" of 2022, with Cannon having "appeared particularly concerned with Trump's personal interests", and in an "ill-suited" move, she allowed the usage of executive privilege "to shield materials between different parts of the executive branch", leading to "howls from various corners of the legal establishment".[50]

The Justice Department had appealed to Cannon to allow their investigation into seized classified-marked documents to continue and had appealed to Cannon to exempt such documents from the special master's review, but Cannon rejected this on September 15 and refused due to "ongoing factual and legal disputes" to accept the government's claims that the documents were classified "without further review by a neutral third party". This is especially significant since Trump's lawyers had not claimed in any court proceeding that the documents were declassified.[51][52][53] Furthermore, Cannon rejected the Justice Department's argument that Trump's possession of the material risked "imminent disclosure of classified information". She cited "leaks to the media after the underlying seizure" of the documents, without specifying what sources might have been responsible for the leaks.[51][54]

On September 21, the Eleventh Circuit stayed portions of Cannon's ruling, allowing around 100 classified documents to be used in the Justice Department's investigation and rescinding the requirement for the special master to review the classified documents.[55] The appeals court stated that under Cannon "the district court abused its discretion in exercising equitable jurisdiction" over the case chiefly because of Cannon's own conclusion that Trump "did not show that the United States acted in callous disregard of his constitutional rights", which was a critical factor in determining jurisdiction.[56][57][58] Furthermore, while Cannon ruled that Trump had an interest in some of the seized documents, the appeals court found that this did not apply to the classified documents and that under Cannon "the district court made no mention" of why or how Trump "might have an individual interest in or need for the classified documents", which was another factor in determining jurisdiction.[56][59] The panel stated that there is "no evidence that any of these records were declassified" and that in any case "the declassification argument is a red herring" that does not establish Trump's "personal interest" in the documents even if they were declassified.[56][60]

On September 29, Cannon overruled procedures proposed by the special master she had appointed, senior federal judge Raymond Dearie, who had been nominated by Trump's legal team. Instead, Cannon agreed with Trump's legal team on multiple issues and set procedures including extending the deadline for the review.[61][62][63][64]

On December 1, the Eleventh Circuit ordered the case to be dismissed because Cannon "improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction" over it.[65][66][67][68][69] The Eleventh Circuit stated that Trump needed to show that the case met all four criteria under the Richey test for equitable jurisdiction over lawsuits for seized materials but failed to do so for any criteria.[70][71][72] The Eleventh Circuit found that under Cannon "the district court stepped in with its own reasoning" multiple times to argue in favor of Trump, sometimes even taking positions that Trump did not argue before the appeals court.[73][74][75] The Eleventh Circuit also found that when Trump did not explain what materials he still needed to return, or why, the "district court was undeterred by this lack of information".[70][76][77]

The National Law Journal wrote that the Eleventh Circuit's decision "reads as a rebuke of" Cannon, with New York University law professor Peter M. Shane commenting that "[i]f an appellate court tells a lower court that we can only accept your judgment by betraying one of the nation’s founding principles, that's a pretty strong rebuke."[72] Duke University School of Law professor Samuel W. Buell opined on the case affecting Cannon's judicial legacy, stating that it "might end up being the most high-profile case she has in her career, so it's not going away", but the Eleventh Circuit's "opinion has her having been very wrong".[72]

On December 8, the Eleventh Circuit ended the special master's review and permitted the government to use non-classified seized material in its investigation.[78] On December 12, Cannon had Trump's case "dismissed for lack of jurisdiction", after the Eleventh Circuit instructed her to dismiss.[79][80]

Cannon was the subject of ethics complaints over her handling of this case, but the complaints were dismissed in December 2022 by the Eleventh Circuit's chief judge, William Pryor.[81]

Cannon allegedly received threats in September 2022. A woman from Houston was charged for allegedly leaving Cannon voicemails that stated that the caller was "Donald Trump's hitman, so consider it a bullet from Donald Trump himself" and also stated that "[y]ou’re helping him, ma’am ... He’s marked for assassination and so are you". The criminal complaint against the Houston woman stated that she appears to "suffer from severe mental impairments with symptoms including paranoia and delusions".[82][83] On February 9, 2024, the woman pleaded guilty and was subject to 37 months in federal prison.[84]

United States v. Trump, criminal case

Cannon was assigned in June 2023 to oversee the criminal case against former president Donald Trump. After an inquiry by The New York Times, the Southern District of Florida's chief clerk confirmed that the assignment was random.[85][86][87] Several legal experts called for Cannon to recuse herself.[87] Stephen Gillers, a professor emeritus at the New York University School of Law, opined that Cannon should recuse from the criminal case, as "her impartiality might reasonably be questioned", due to her being "partial to Trump as a former President" in the previous civil case.[88] Richard Painter, Norman Eisen and Fred Wertheimer, former White House chief ethics lawyers and a good government advocate respectively, jointly called for Cannon's recusal, citing her conduct in the previous civil case, which they described as "fundamentally erroneous ... went well outside the judicial norm and was roundly criticized by the Court of Appeals".[87] Laurence Tribe, a professor at Harvard Law School, opined that the "historic trial ... should be, and should be seen to be, entirely unbiased and legally sound", but Cannon being the judge "would cast a long shadow over" the trial.[87] However, there was no indication that Cannon would recuse herself, and she soon began issuing orders related to the examination of evidence in the case.[89]

This criminal case arose from the investigation into his handling of government documents, which was the subject of a civil case against Trump that Cannon coincidentally previously presided over.[90] In June 2023, The New York Times analysed records by Bloomberg Law of Cannon's handling of criminal cases as a federal judge, finding that before Trump's criminal case, she had presided over 224 criminal cases, of which only four criminal cases went to trial, with a cumulative 14 trial days.[91] However Politico noted that the ongoing Carver case, slated for trial in July 2023, featured many of the kinds of pretrial motions and procedures that this case would be expected to see.[32]

In late June 2023, Cannon ruled against the Department of Justice, denying its request to keep the identities of 84 potential witnesses under seal.[92] In August 2023, Cannon ruled in favor of Trump on the issue of potential conflicts of interest regarding co-defendant Walt Nauta's lawyer Stanley Woodward representation of possible witnesses in the case. She rejected the notion that sealed filings were required "to comport with grand jury secrecy", striking two sealed filings by prosecutors from the court record. Instead, Cannon instructed Woodward and prosecutors to discuss "the legal propriety of using an out-of-district grand jury proceeding" to continue actions in this federal case.[93][94] Several legal experts, including Laurence Tribe, as well as former federal prosecutors Andrew Weissmann and Joyce Vance, indicated that the propriety of the grand jury proceedings were obvious, and that Cannon's questioning of their propriety was alarming.[95]

After Trump's legal team in September 2023 requested an extension to the case, Cannon delayed a crucial pre-trial hearing on the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) from October 2023 to February 2024, while also ruling that she would only decide further scheduling in March 2024.[96][97] Politico reported that Cannon "has run the pretrial process at a leisurely pace that will make a postponement [of the scheduled May 2024 trial] almost inevitable, according to experts on criminal prosecutions related to classified information"; Politico further states that if the trial is postponed to after the 2024 United States presidential election, Trump could become president and would then be "expected" to instruct the Justice Department to end the case.[98]

In February 2024, Cannon granted Trump's team's motion for the names of witnesses in this case and their testimony to be publicly revealed; this caused the government's prosecutors to ask Cannon to reconsider, citing "significant and immediate risks of threats, intimidation, and harassment" which has been seen in other Trump cases.[99][100] In March 2024, a witness in the case and former Mar-a-Lago employee, Brian Butler, appeared in a CNN interview ahead of the disclosure of his name.[101]

Personal life

Cannon married restaurant executive Josh Lorence in 2008.[2] They have two children and live in Vero Beach, Florida, as of 2022.[2] Cannon is a registered Republican.[2] She donated $100 to Ron DeSantis's gubernatorial campaign in 2018.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Schnell, Mychael (September 7, 2022). "Five things to know about Aileen M. Cannon, the judge who granted Trump a special master". The Hill. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mazzei, Patricia; Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (September 7, 2022). "Trump Ruling Lifts Profile of Judge and Raises Legal Eyebrows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Weaver, Jay; Wilner, Michael (September 12, 2022). "Trump-appointed judge at center of ex-president's FBI fight. Who is Aileen Cannon?". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Musgrave, Jane (September 8, 2022). "Federal judge now at center of Trump's Mar-a-Lago search a 'stickler for procedure'". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "SJC Questionnaire" (PDF). Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Tillman, Zoe (September 6, 2022). "Trump-Appointed Judge Courts Controversy With Mar-a-Lago Order". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Marimow, Ann (September 9, 2022). "In ruling for Trump, low-profile judge Aileen Cannon invites scrutiny". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Dixon, Matt (September 6, 2022). "Judge who sided with Trump in Mar-a-Lago case had few high-profile cases". Politico. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  9. ^ Chutchian, Maria (November 9, 2011). "FINRA Clears Thomas Weisel In $16M ARS 'Stuffing' Case". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Nakamura, David; Wang, Amy (August 28, 2022). "Naming of special master could complicate Mar-a-Lago documents case". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  11. ^ Bolado, Carolina (May 15, 2018). "Ex-Mutual Benefits Atty Says Co. Wasn't A Ponzi Scheme". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Seal, Dean (October 4, 2018). "11th Circ. Affirms Ex-Mutual Benefits Atty's 10-Year Sentence". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Hale, Nathan (October 1, 2019). "Ponzi Schemer Rothstein Loses Appeal To Trim Sentence". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Kragie, Andrew (November 12, 2020). "Gibson Dunn Alum Confirmed To Florida District Court". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023. Cannon drew the American Bar Association's middle rating of "qualified" and avoided scrutiny at her July confirmation hearing. Democratic senators sent a litany of written follow-up questions for the record. [...] Cannon has spent the last seven years with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, litigating criminal appeals since 2016 after prosecuting 41 defendants to conviction, including four in jury trials.
  15. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  16. ^ Cole, Devan (August 31, 2022). "Judge Aileen Cannon: Trump's request for 'special master' puts one of his judicial appointees in the spotlight". CNN. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Ten Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). May 21, 2020. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  18. ^ Gómez, Simón (September 12, 2022). "Aileen Cannon, la polémica jueza hispana que detuvo la investigación sobre los documentos incautados a Trump". Univision (in Spanish). Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Bump, Philip (September 6, 2022). "Why might Trump have wanted Judge Cannon for his Mar-a-Lago challenge?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. July 29, 2020.
  21. ^ Kragie, Andrew (July 29, 2020). "Dems Press Kansas Judicial Pick On Solicitor General Work". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023. Judge Calabrese faced Republican questioning about religious freedoms while the other two escaped close scrutiny. Senators also took it easy on federal prosecutor Aileen M. Cannon, a Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP veteran nominated to the Southern District of Florida whom the ABA rated "qualified." Democrats focused their fire on District of Kansas pick Toby Crouse...
  22. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 17, 2020" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Aileen Mercedes Cannon to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida)". United States Senate. November 12, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  24. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Aileen Mercedes Cannon, of Florida, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida)". United States Senate. November 12, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  25. ^ Aileen Cannon at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  26. ^ "2020 - a year in review" (PDF). United States District Court Southern District of Florida. p. 5. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  27. ^ "In historic first, Swiss firm settles suit by U.S. family over seized property in Cuba". Miami Herald. June 2, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  28. ^ Musgrave, Jane (April 4, 2022). "Palm Beach Gardens man learns price of hurling chair at federal prosecutor". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  29. ^ Gregorian, Dareh (April 2, 2022). "Florida man sentenced to 18 months in prison for Pelosi, AOC death threats". NBC News. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  30. ^ Musgrave, Jane (April 4, 2022). "Palm Beach County man gets 18 month sentence for death threats to Nancy Pelosi, other top women". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  31. ^ Holsman, Melissa (July 13, 2022). "Ex-Sewall's Point police officer ordered to prison in lewd texting case involving teen boy". Treasure Coast Palm. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Cheney, Kyle (June 15, 2023). "Trump judge's thin criminal trial resume comes with a twist". Politico. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  33. ^ Lynch, Sarah N.; Thomsen, Jacqueline; Lynch, Sarah N.; Thomsen, Jacqueline (August 4, 2023). "Exclusive: Trump documents case judge made multiple errors in earlier trial". Reuters. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  34. ^ Greg, Stohr (October 5, 2022). "Trump Seeks Supreme Court Look at Mar-a-Lago Records Fight". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  35. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (August 23, 2022). "Judge seeks clarity about Trump's move on records seized from Mar-a-Lago". Politico. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  36. ^ Feuer, Alan; Haberman, Maggie (August 27, 2022). "Judge Signals Intent to Appoint Special Master in Mar-a-Lago Search". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  37. ^ Nakamura, David; Wang, Amy (August 28, 2022). "Naming of special master could complicate Mar-a-Lago documents case". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  38. ^ Cole, Devan (August 31, 2022). "Judge Aileen Cannon: Trump's request for 'special master' puts one of his judicial appointees in the spotlight". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  39. ^ a b Quinn, Melissa (October 5, 2022). "Timeline: The legal battle over the 11,000 documents found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago". CBS News. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  40. ^ Mallin, Alexander (August 29, 2022). "DOJ tells judge it has completed review of possible attorney-client privileged materials seized from Mar-a-Lago". ABC News. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  41. ^ Tucker, Eric (August 30, 2022). "US: Review of possibly privileged Trump papers already over". Associated Press. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  42. ^ Barrett, Devlin (August 29, 2022). "Trump's Mar-a-Lago documents already examined by FBI, Justice Dept. tells judge". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  43. ^ Mangan, Dan (September 5, 2022). "Judge authorizes special master to review Trump Mar-a-Lago raid documents, temporarily blocks DOJ using records for probe". CNBC. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  44. ^ Tillman, Zoe (September 10, 2022). "Trump's Mar-a-Lago Fight Shows How Much He Reshaped the Courts". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  45. ^ Tucker, Eric (September 6, 2022). "Judge grants Trump bid for special master in document search". Associated Press. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  46. ^ Korecki, Natasha; Reilly, Ryan; Caputo, Mark (September 6, 2022). "Judge grants Trump's special master request, delays parts of criminal probe". NBC News. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  47. ^ Weiss, Debra (September 6, 2022). "Unclean hands and executive-privilege scope debated after judge requires special master in Trump case". ABA Journal. Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  48. ^ Marimow, Ann; Barrett, Devlin (September 6, 2022). "Judge's special-master order a test of Trump's post-White House powers". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  49. ^ Bolado, Carolina (September 7, 2022). "Experts Say Mar-A-Lago Judge Shows Poor Grasp Of Privilege". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023. Mark Rozell, a professor at George Mason University who wrote a book on executive privilege, called Judge Cannon's decision "a mess" and said her analysis on executive privilege is "not substantiated by past precedent or understanding regarding the principle of executive privilege."
  50. ^ Strickler, Andrew (December 9, 2022). "The Biggest Legal Ethics Cases Of 2022". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  51. ^ a b Blake, Aaron (September 16, 2022). "4 key points from Judge Cannon's latest controversial Trump decision". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  52. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (September 15, 2022). "Judge appoints special master, rejects DOJ bid to delay Mar-a-Lago ruling". Politico. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  53. ^ Richards, Zoë; Barnes, Daniel (September 15, 2022). "Federal judge appoints special master to review documents seized at Mar-a-Lago". CNBC. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  54. ^ Tucker, Eric (September 17, 2022). "Veteran judge named special master in Trump documents search". Associated Press. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  55. ^ Mallin, Alexander; Faulders, Katherine (September 22, 2022). "DOJ can continue Trump classified docs investigation without special master: Appeals court". ABC News . Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  56. ^ a b c Blake, Aaron (September 22, 2022). "A thorough rebuke of Judge Aileen Cannon's pro-Trump order". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  57. ^ Sullum, Jacob (September 22, 2022). "The FBI Regains Access to Mar-a-Lago Documents That Trump Claims He Mentally Declassified". Reason. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  58. ^ Sneed, Tierney; Polantz, Katelyn (November 22, 2022). "Appeals court is dubious of Trump's arguments for special master review of Mar-a-Lago search". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  59. ^ Macagnone, Michael (September 21, 2022). "Appeals court allows review of Mar-a-Lago classified documents". Roll Call. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  60. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (September 21, 2022). "Trump suffers setback as appeals panel rejects Cannon ruling". Politico. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  61. ^ Gerstein, Josh; Cheney, Kyle (September 29, 2022). "Judge again sides with Trump in Mar-a-Lago documents fight". Politico. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  62. ^ Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan (September 29, 2022). "Judge Overrules Special Master's Demands to Trump in Document Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  63. ^ Stein, Perry (September 29, 2022). "Judge rules Trump lawyers don't have to clarify Mar-a-Lago document claims". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  64. ^ Lynch, Sarah (September 30, 2022). "U.S. judge does not require Trump to attest that FBI's list of seized records is accurate". Reuters. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  65. ^ Druker, Simon (December 1, 2022). "Federal court blocks special master review of seized Trump documents". United Press International. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  66. ^ Weiss, Debra (December 2, 2022). "Judge didn't have jurisdiction to appoint special master in Trump documents case, 11th Circuit says". ABA Journal. Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  67. ^ Minsky, David (December 1, 2023). "11th Circ. Rejects Trump's Bid For Mar-A-Lago Doc Review". Law360. Retrieved February 2, 2023. The circuit judges rebuked the Sept. 5 order by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, authorizing the special master, saying she "improperly exercised" equitable jurisdiction.
  68. ^ Mangan, Dan (December 2, 2022). "Appeals court vacates order appointing Trump Mar-a-Lago search warrant watchdog". CNBC. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  69. ^ Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan (December 2, 2022). "Two Trump-Appointed Judges Rebuke a Third for Bending the Law in His Favor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  70. ^ a b Sullum, Jacob (December 5, 2022). "11th Circuit Says a Judge Should Not Have Interfered With the FBI's Review of the Mar-a-Lago Documents". Reason. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  71. ^ Lowell, Hugo (December 1, 2022). "US court strikes down appointment of special master to review Trump records". The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  72. ^ a b c Zoppo, Avalon (December 2, 2022). "Was Aileen Cannon the Biggest Loser in the 11th Circuit's Special Master Ruling?". The National Law Journal. New York City: ALM. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  73. ^ Gerstein, Josh; Cheney, Kyle (December 1, 2022). "Appeals court rejects Trump lawsuit in Mar-a-Lago documents case". Politico. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  74. ^ Weaver, Jay (December 3, 2022). "Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon 'slammed' by appeals court in Trump case". Miami Herald. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  75. ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (December 1, 2022). "Appeals court halts Trump special master appointment in Mar-a-Lago case". The Hill. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  76. ^ Ford, Matt (December 2, 2022). "Judge Aileen Cannon's Reign of Error Is Over". The New Republic. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  77. ^ Wehle, Kimberly (December 5, 2022). "Court Implodes Trump's Mar-a-Lago Defense (and the Errant Judge Who Bought It)". The Bulwark. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  78. ^ Stein, Perry (December 8, 2022). "Mar-a-Lago special master formally dismissed; Trump not expected to appeal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  79. ^ Weaver, Jay (December 12, 2022). "Florida judge officially dumps Trump lawsuit over Mar-a-Lago document seizure". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  80. ^ Bantz, Phillip (December 21, 2022). "From Jan. 6 To Taxes, 'Tis The Season For Trump Probes". Law360. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  81. ^ Zoppo, Avalon (December 6, 2022). "Judge Dismisses Ethics Complaints Accusing Aileen Cannon of Bias in Trump Special Master Order". The National Law Journal. New York City: ALM. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  82. ^ Sganga, Nicole; Linton, Caroline (September 12, 2022). "Texas woman charged with threatening judge who approved Trump special master request". CBS News. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  83. ^ Rabinowitz, Hannah (September 12, 2022). "Woman arrested for allegedly threatening judge in Mar-a-Lago documents case". CNN. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  84. ^ "Texas woman sentenced to 3 years in prison for death threats to judge in Trump's documents case". NBC News. February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  85. ^ Savage, Charlie (June 9, 2023). "Judge Aileen Cannon, Who Showed Trump Favor, Gets Documents Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  86. ^ Bowden, John (June 12, 2023). "Trump-appointed judge will stay on Mar-a-Lago documents case unless she recuses". The Independent. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  87. ^ a b c d Adler, Ben (June 12, 2023). "Calls grow for Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself in Trump documents case". Yahoo News. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  88. ^ Chotiner, Isaac (June 12, 2023). "Will the Judge in Trump's Case Recuse Herself—or Be Forced To?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  89. ^ Feuer, Alan; Rashbaum, William; Haberman, Maggie (June 15, 2023). "Judge Orders Lawyers in Trump Case to Start Getting Security Clearances". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023.
  90. ^ Faulders, Katherine; Mallin, Alexander; Bruggeman, Lucien (June 9, 2023). "Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, initially assigned to oversee his case: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  91. ^ Schmidt, Michael; Savage, Charlie (June 14, 2023). "Judge in Trump Documents Case Has Scant Criminal Trial Experience". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  92. ^ Lowell, Hugo (June 26, 2023). "List of witnesses against Trump cannot be secret in documents case, judge rules". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  93. ^ Sharp, Rachel (August 8, 2023). "Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon sides with Trump again in classified documents case". The Independent. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  94. ^ Mallin, Alexander (August 8, 2023). "Judge in Trump's classified documents case questions use of out-of-district grand jury in probe". ABC News. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  95. ^ Levin, Bess (August 8, 2023). ""Dopey and Constitutionally Dubious": Legal Experts Blast Judge Aileen Cannon's Latest Pro-Trump Rulings". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  96. ^ Faulders, Katherine (October 7, 2023). "Judge pauses litigation in classified docs case while mulling Trump's request for extension". ABC News. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  97. ^ Lowell, Hugo (November 17, 2023). "Trump classified documents trial running about four months behind schedule". The Guardian. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  98. ^ Gerstein, Josh (November 22, 2023). "How one judge is slowing down one of Trump's biggest criminal cases". Politico. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  99. ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (February 9, 2024). "Special counsel fights judge's order allowing Trump to reveal witness identities in Mar-a-Lago case". The Hill. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  100. ^ Garrison, Steve (February 9, 2024). "Feds say Mar-a-Lago witnesses face 'significant risks' if identified". Courthouse News. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  101. ^ Derysh, Igor (March 13, 2024). "'Judge Cannon has a lot to answer for': Ex-Mueller prosecutor fumes after witness comes forward". Salon. Retrieved March 13, 2024.

External links

Legal offices Preceded byKenneth Marra Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida 2020–present Incumbent
Active district judges of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Categories