“She Is as Much of a Traitor as Trump Is”: Judge in Trump’s Classified Documents Case “Has Her Thumb on the Scale for Trump,” According to Experts

Michelle MeyerNov 11, 2023

Minute Read

According to experts, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon hasn’t really been sticking to legal principle in Donald Trump’s classified documents case. Now, people are beginning to wonder whether she’s biased in the former president’s favor.

Off Base Criticism

Cannon’s deviation became apparent when she criticized Special Counsel Jack Smith for bringing to her attention the former president’s request to postpone proceedings in Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, after Cannon indicated that she may delay the classified documents trial as per Trump’s request, described her criticism of prosecutors as “off base.”

Allegations Backed Up by Evidence

In her newsletter, Vance wrote: “Perhaps Judge Cannon needs to remember what this case is about. Alleged crimes regarding the treatment of highly classified documents by a former president – allegations that are backed up by evidence collected during execution of a court-ordered search warrant.”

Cannon’s Thumb on the Scale for Trump

“Instead it seems to have devolved into an inexplicable grudge match with the Special Counsel’s office on her part,” Vance continued. She also expressed her concerns on social media, where she wrote: “Many people have a sense Judge Cannon has her thumb on the scale for Trump.”

Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman’s Criticism

Vance hasn’t been the only one to criticize Cannon. Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman said: “Biased or not, Cannon simply doesn’t have game. She needs to go back to judge school, except there isn’t such a place – yes, I know about the little orientation course but that’s not what I mean.”

A Law Professor’s Opinion

Others have struggled to understand why Cannon would want to delay the trial if not because of bias in Trump’s favor. Speaking to Newsweek, Stephen Gillers – a law professor – said: “Does she believe that the case is too complicated to try as soon as May, even though the lawyers have had months to prepare and will have six more months before May? That’s not credible.”

The Public Opinion

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Cannon and her seemingly pro-Trump behavior have been discussed a lot in recent weeks, both online and in the real world. Many people feel that she’s incredibly biased and shouldn’t be involved in the case, which is understandable given that she was appointed by Trump.

The Internet’s Response

Across social media, people have been near-unanimously critical. Some people even said that, because of Cannon, they’d given up on the classified documents case leading to any repercussions for the former president. Others simply expressed their surprise regarding her still being allowed to work on cases involving him.

The Only Judge Trump Hasn’t Criticized

One social media commenter, referring to Trump’s habit of hitting out at judges and prosecutors both online and while speaking to reporters, said: “There’s a reason Cannon is the only judge/prosecutor Trump hasn’t criticized.”

No Real Consequences

Another person wrote: “The sad thing is that I’ve sort of given up on that [classified documents] case. Cannon is so obviously trying to help Trump that I have no expectation he’ll see any real consequences for this serious crime.”

A Frustrating Situation

The commenter continued: “I’ve put my hopes in DC and GA for now. By the time his [classified documents] case happens, he’ll hopefully have already been convicted in one or both of the other two. It’s frustrating because they have overwhelming evidence against him and what he did was so dangerous. It’s insane to me that a federal judge is bending over backward to run interference for him.”

Freeing up the Schedule for Other Cases

Others pointed to the pros of Cannon delaying the case: “As I’ve heard others comment, if Cannon delays this case it just opens up the calendar for other prosecutors to bring their cases to trial sooner. So she is just freeing up the schedule for the GA case.”

A Trump-Appointed Judge

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“I’m amazed that the DOJ doesn’t have some procedure for removing a biased judge from a case. Being a judge in a case involving who appointed them should automatically be considered a bias,” another person said.

An Inherent Conflict of Interest

Echoing the aforementioned individual, another commenter wrote: “How is her sitting as a judge in this case not an inherent conflict of interest? Didn’t Trump appoint her? Can’t conflict of interest be argued by Smith to have her replaced? Haven’t her actions demonstrated this? And aren’t there standards of ethical conduct for judges to recuse themselves whenever there is plausible bias?”

A New Rule Is Needed

Plenty of people were baffled by the fact the Cannon is allowed to preside over a case in which the defendant appointed her: “Good thing he’s on trial for other multiple felonies. This one he has the judge running interference. It’s going to be one of the other multiple felonies that brings him down. Why is there not a rule you can’t preside over a case where the defendant appointed you?”

A Situation Beyond Comprehension

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Others found the entire situation a bit odd: “What’s weird is that most of Trump’s inner circle have either flipped on him, or are going to testify against him, or have quietly backed away from him. Trump is finished. Why Cannon is still handing out favors is beyond comprehension.”

Running Out the Clock

Another commenter wrote: “I know Trump’s only option is to run out the clock to his death but this strategy is just tacking millions onto his already incomprehensible legal bills, right? This may be a dumb question but, I mean, once his assets are stripped, at what point does this – or any – legal team just walk away?”

Definitely Pro-Trump

Others said Trump will likely lose the presidential election, making delaying his trials until afterward pointless: “Cannon is trying to stretch this out so it goes until after the election. She’s definitely pro-Trump. Doesn’t matter. Trump is going to lose again anyway… if he manages to get that far without one of his other indictments derailing him.”

No Honor or Morals

One person, clearly very passionate about the matter, went as far as to call Cannon a “traitor.” They wrote: “She is as much of a traitor as traitor Trump is. She is an American without honor or morals. Remove this vile woman from the bench.”