Judge Cannon slammed for expanding 'absurd' hearing on Smith removal request

05 June 2024

Donald Trump appointee Aileen Cannon, the Florida-based federal judge assigned to the Mar-a-Lago documents case, has been a frequent source of frustration to special counsel Jack Smith and his team at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Cannon has indefinitely delayed the case, and she recently rejected Smith's request for a limited gag order against Trump.

One of the many arguments that Trump and his legal team are making against Smith's Mar-a-Lago case is that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland acted improperly by appointing him as special counsel — and therefore, the entire case is invalid. Now, according to CNN, Cannon is expanding Trump's request for a hearing on that argument.

A hearing has been scheduled to Friday, June 21.

CNN reporters Dan Berman and Katelyn Polantz explain, "Judge Aileen Cannon is planning on holding a sprawling hearing on Donald Trump's request to declare Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel invalid, signaling the judge could be more willing than any other trial judge to veto the special prosecutor's authority. The planned hearing also adds a new, unusual twist in the federal criminal national security case against the former president: Cannon, on Tuesday, (June 4), said that a variety of political partisans and constitutional scholars not otherwise involved with the case can join in the oral arguments on June 21."

The reporters add, "It's an extraordinary elevation of arguments in a criminal case first filed a year ago this week that likely won't see trial until next year, if at all."

Attorney Bradley P. Moss, known for his expertise on national security law, believes the June 21 hearing shouldn't be taking place.

Moss told CNN, "The fact these motions are even being entertained with a hearing is itself ridiculous. That third parties are being allowed to opine at the hearing is absurd."

Read CNN's full report at this link.

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