Court watchdogs Free Speech for the People, which was founded as a response to The Citizens United decision allowing unlimited and unaccountable money to wash through and corrupt our political processes, also takes a dim view of sitting Judges that aid and abet threats to our national security.
In a strongly worded letter written to Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga, who presides over Cannon’s U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the group demands that Altonaga remove her from Trump’s trial for the theft of classified files from the U.S. Government – due to her transparent attempts to get Trump off the hook last year:
“A government watchdog warned on Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s oversight of the federal case regarding former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents and alleged jeopardizing of national security “undermines public confidence in the courts” due to her previous ruling on the matter last year, and demanded that Cannon be removed from the case unless she recuses herself.
In a letter to Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, on which Cannon also serves, the organization said the judge “demonstrated judicial error and extreme bias” when she ordered the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to halt its investigation into the classified documents that were discovered at the former Republican president’s estate in Florida.“
And why does FSFP believe Cannon exhibited “extreme bias” in her rulings?
Well, I dunno, perhaps she did so when she wrote that the “stigma” of being revealed as an ongoing national security threat would just be too much for the Orangeutan to bear:
“She wrote that ‘as a function of plaintiff’s former position as president of the United States, the stigma associated with the subject seizure is in a league of its own,'” noted Eisen, Painter, and Wertheimer. “She reiterated this position in denying the government’s motion for a partial stay of her order pending appeal, stating that her consideration ‘is inherently impacted by the position formerly held by [Trump].'”
So, let me get this straight.
Trump’s position as a former *Resident of the United States entitles him somehow to not be embarrassed by potentially being convicted of violation of The Espionage Act but should not deter him from stealing state secretes in the first place?
Is that about right, Cannon?
Where did you get your law license from… a box of Fruit Loops?
“FSFP pointed out on Wednesday that a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously overturned Cannon’s ruling last year, calling it a “radical reordering of our case law limiting federal courts” which, if allowed to stand, would “violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations.”
“At a minimum, Judge Cannon’s prior history creates an unacceptable risk of an unavoidable appearance of bias in one of the most important proceedings in United States history,” said FSFP. “The public will view Judge Cannon as a biased decision-maker who opposes the prosecution, and who is prepared to enact unorthodox legal measures to favor Trump in court.”
In my opinion Cannon’s attempt to “violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations” and shut down a Justice Department investigation into what is plainly a violation of Federal Law and ongoing National Security threat should not only cause her to recuse herself in this case but should also result in disbarment.
Here’s hoping Judge Altonaga agrees.
Her appointment is suspicious as hell. I suspect this is going to gather momentum and she will be forced to recuse herself.
I have heard nothing, good or bad, about the chief judge. She has the perfect excuse – logistics. Cannon works out of Ft Pierce, a couple of hours north of Miami, and handling a case in Miami may prove too complicated with her case load at her home base.
We all know Loose Cannon is not capable of handling a case of this magnitude, especially given the example of how she totally FUBARed the search warrant case.
Any village idiot including the Mango Mar a Lago ruler we know as Trump knows she’s biased and will try to help him. And no, she’s not stupid, just biased. She didn’t come from big money and connections but got into and graduated from Duke. Law School at Michigan which although a public university is a premier one and their law school is first rate. So she’s got legal knowledge, she chooses to use it in Trump’s case to take over for his inept defense counsel! If she recuses I’ll be stunned. Worried even because who knows the impact of hell freezing over? I don’t think for a second that getting slapped down like she did by the appellate court will change her into an impartial judge in this particular case. My fear is that the lesson she will have learned is to not be quite so blatant. If she’s a bit more reserved and strategic she can make all manner of Trump favorable rulings that would be far more difficult to overturn on appeal. Or failing that more subtle so as not to get slapped down so hard, but will still eat up valuable time that will delay the case past the election. Trump, like any other defendant who is facing a strong government case will view delay as being almost as good as acquittal.
She may not be stupid but what she wrote about Trump in her decisions on the search warrant case was. She probably won’t recuse… another stupid decision from an intelligent person.
Smart people do stupid things. Think how many times you’ve seen it happen. Hell, I’ll admit to in my life being told by many people I’m really smart and I can assure you sometimes I’VE done stupid things! Also, what so many people do is assume that being smart about one thing, or generally smart makes a person smart about EVERYTHING. Really smart people can and do have really stupid beliefs on some matters, or about some people. Smart people fall for cons and con artists every freaking day. If Cannon was stupid she’d have never gotten into, much less graduated from Duke. Same with Michigan Law School but it doesn’t mean she’s immune from falling for stupid ideology or a political con. And let’s face it – some people adopt stupid, even destructive or evil beliefs long before they go to college, and if they go on to become lawyers or doctors. Then there are those like Clarence Thomas who use the system to their advantage and then pull up the ladder behind them! I’ll shut up now. It’s late where I live and this is the time of day when stupid too often starts making its way to the front of my brain housing group.
I love you Denis. You’re freakin’ hilarious!
Our greatest Constitutional law scholar, Lawrence Tribe, has advocated a motion by Smith to have Judge Loose Cannon removed for clear bias and inept, pro-Trump rulings that were both overturned by the 11th Circuit with severe criticism.
Do we really believe that it was a coincidence that Cannon was selected to preside over what is, arguably, the most important case in American history? She is Trump’s ideal stooge.
Something is rotten in the state of Florida
“Fruit Loops”? How dare you?! I believe it was a box of Cracker Jacks. The woman has TASTE in her choice of snacks!