Three years ago, Aileen Mercedes Cannon’s appointment as a judge by Donald Trump likely did not foretell, that he would eventually become a defendant in her courtroom.
When Aileen Mercedes Cannon was appointed a judge by Donald Trump three years ago, she could hardly have imagined he would wind up as a defendant in her court.
Judge Cannon’s assignment to preside over Trump’s high-stakes trial has added another layer of controversy to the first ever federal-level criminal prosecution of a former US president.
Some legal experts have argued that Cannon should recuse herself because she has previously displayed bias towards Trump, who is accused of mishandling government secrets.
Others contend that Cannon, who was nominated to a lifetime appointment as a District Court judge by Trump in May 2020, will ensure that the former president gets a fair shake.
The timing of the trial is key. If it is still ongoing and Trump wins the November 2024 presidential election, he could conceivably pardon himself on taking office.
After the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022 to recover classified documents that the former president had refused to return, Cannon was assigned to hear a lawsuit filed by Trump challenging the seizure.
She issued a number of rulings favorable to Trump that were reversed on appeal by the conservative 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in a severe rebuke.
Among the rulings was her contention that special deference should be shown to Trump because he was a former president.
The three-judge 11th Circuit panel, which included two Trump appointees, shot that down.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
