A federal judge blasted an apparent attempt to have the judge who oversaw former President Trump's case removed, arguing that the Florida judge appeared to be the victim of an “orchestrated campaign.”
Judge Aileen Cannon was the target of more than 1,000 complaints in one week last month, with critics accusing her of deliberately delaying the criminal case against Trump until after the election, according to a report from CNBC.
But William Pryor, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, shot down the attempt, saying in a May 22 order that he “considered and dismissed four of those orchestrated complaints as related to merits and as based on allegations that contain insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion. that misconduct occurred.”
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Former President Trump (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The order comes as Cannon has come under fire for her handling of the case, according to the CNBC report, which cited a recent “Justice Matters” podcast by former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, which accused the Florida judge of brought the matter to a standstill.
“She has brought the case to a screeching halt by refusing to resolve motions in a timely manner and refusing to even set a trial date. Judge Cannon is NOT an honest arbiter of the law, and federal law requires that a judge be removed when his/her 'reasonably impartiality could be questioned,'” said Kirschner, who also pointed out that Cannon was a Trump appointee .
The same podcast included a link to a YouTube video that provided step-by-step instructions on how to file a complaint against Cannon with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon (US Courts)
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In his order, Pryor noted that “many of the complaints” against Cannon “request that the Chief Circuit Judge remove her from the classified documents case and reassign the case to another judge” and “question the accuracy of her statements or her delays questioning. in issuing judgments in the case.”
The chief judge also noted that the judicial grievance process “is not the appropriate means of seeking review of Judge Cannon's orders; nevertheless, her orders are normally subject to appellate review.”
Pryor also argued in the order that little evidence had been presented that would warrant action to remove Cannon.
Former President Trump leads a spring retreat for Republican National Committee donors in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 4, 2024. (Donald Trump 2024 Campaign)
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“While many of the complaints allege an improper motive to delay the case, the allegations are speculative and unsupported by any evidence,” the judge wrote. “The complaints also do not show that Judge Cannon had to recuse herself from the case because she was appointed by then-President Trump.”
