The Florida federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, Judge Aileen Cannon, has been the target of over 1,000 complaints in just one week raising questions about her handling of the case. Chief Judge William Pryor of the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals revealed in an order that many of the complaints request her removal from the classified-documents case and reassignment to a different judge. Critics have accused Cannon of delaying the trial to ensure it does not take place before the presidential election, among other issues such as ruling delays and criticisms of prosecutors.
Complaints filed against Judge Cannon since May 16 seem to be part of an orchestrated campaign, according to Pryor. Some complaints question the correctness of her rulings or her delays in issuing rulings in the case. Trump, who appointed Cannon, faces charges related to withholding classified government records at his Mar-a-Lago club and trying to hide them from officials. Pryor dismissed some orchestrated complaints against Cannon as lacking sufficient evidence to suggest misconduct and stated that neither he nor the Judicial Council can remove her from the case under judicial-conduct rules.
Pryor emphasized that the complaints do not provide evidence of an improper motive or grounds for recusal, as many speculate and are unsupported by evidence. He noted that previous complaints of judicial misconduct or disability were filed against Cannon, some of which have been acted upon. The Judicial Council followed Pryor’s recommendation to not accept complaints similar to those filed on or after May 16. While the judicial-complaint process is not the appropriate channel for seeking review of Cannon’s orders, Pryor stated that her orders are subject to appellate review in the normal course.
Legal observers and critics, including lawyer and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, have been vocal about their concerns regarding Cannon’s handling of Trump’s criminal case. Kirschner claimed that Cannon has halted progress by failing to resolve motions promptly and refusing to set a trial date. He believes Cannon’s impartiality could be questioned, which is a requirement under federal law for a judge to be removed from a case. Kirschner created a step-by-step video on how to file a complaint against Cannon, which has resulted in numerous complaints being submitted to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In a separate ruling in December 2022, Pryor was part of a three-judge panel that overturned Cannon’s decision to appoint an outside watchdog to determine the use of documents seized from Mar-a-Lago by FBI agents in the criminal probe of Trump. The panel argued that the district court lacked jurisdiction to block the government from using lawfully seized records in a criminal investigation. It stated that no rule could allow a subject of a search warrant to prevent government investigations after the warrant execution or only enable former presidents to do so. The panel criticized the district court for improperly exercising equitable jurisdiction in the case.
