Aileen Cannon is at it again
Although Donald Trump’s criminal investigations were paused, Judge Aileen Cannon continues to insert herself into them. Last week, Judge Cannon wrote an order, attempting to block Jack Smith from releasing his report on a case that has nothing to do with her. She dismissed the espionage case, and she has, therefore, given up her jurisdiction over that case. Instead of even dealing with that case, she took it upon herself to order that the report cannot be released in the 2020 election interference case, which was being handled by Judge Tanya Chutkan. Cannon really does not understand how any of this works. She cannot issue orders in a case in which her court has no jurisdiction. Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance weighed in with her thoughts.
“In its order last week, the Eleventh Circuit invited the government to take an emergency appeal of Judge Cannon’s order denying the government permission to release the report. They’ve done that now, but it’s messy. … The strangest thing about this entire proceeding is that Judge Cannon continues to issue orders when there is no case pending in front of her.” Her motive is obvious: she is continuing to run interference on Donald Trump’s behalf. That is not the function of a court. It does not exist to oversee others. That’s why we have Courts of Appeal. They, and only they, can change the outcomes in district courts. This is ridiculous. Someone needs to seriously take a stab at getting her removed from the bench.
In the end, however, Cannon did the right thing and allowed that report to be released. Obviously, the DOJ was not looking to release a report on the espionage case because it remains pending in the Court of Appeals, and two defendants remain in the case. Releasing the report in that case would be foolhardy, and the DOJ is certainly not filled with fools, though it may shortly be just that. Several U.S. Attorneys have resigned rather than face the prospect of a Trump lackey telling them how to do the job they have been doing for years. Following the moves of those U.S. Attorneys, Jack Smith also resigned his position last week. Further, Garland has advised that he will release the report once the Court rules (which it now has), but he told Congress he would not be releasing anything about the espionage case because Trump’s co-defendants still face charges, depending on the ruling of the Eleventh Circuit.
According to NBC News, the report will be released shortly before Trump takes the oath of office. Continuing to interfere in a case that is no longer under her jurisdiction, Cannon plans to hold a hearing Friday to determine whether she can release parts of the espionage report to “select members of Congress.” It’s either released to all or to none. Besides, she no longer has jurisdiction over the case, and the Eleventh Circuit will likely rule on its release regardless of how much Trump moans and whines. As for “judge” Aileen Cannon, as Michael Steele said: “She’s a stain on the entire judiciary.”
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years