A federal judge has openly mocked efforts to remove a judge presiding over former President Trump’s criminal classified documents case, claiming the Florida judge appears to be the victim of a “coordinated campaign.”
Judge Eileen Cannon was the target of more than 1,000 complaints in a single week last month, with critics accusing her of deliberately delaying criminal proceedings against Trump until after the election. A report from CNBC.
But in a May 22 order, 11th Circuit Chief Judge William Pryor rejected the effort, saying he “considered and dismissed four of the systemic complaints as being based on allegations without substantial issues and sufficient evidence to support an inference that wrongdoing occurred.”
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Former President Trump (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
The order comes as Judge Cannon has come under fire for his handling of the case, CNBC reported, citing former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, who recently appeared on the “Justice Matters” podcast, accusing the Florida judge of stalling the case.
“She has brought this litigation to a screeching halt by refusing to resolve the claims in a timely manner or even set a trial date. Judge Cannon is not an honest intermediary of the law, and federal law requires that a judge be removed if their ‘impartiality may reasonably be called into question,'” Kirschner said, also noting that Judge Cannon was appointed by President Trump.
The same podcast included a link to a YouTube video with step-by-step instructions on how to file a complaint against Cannon with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Honorable Eileen Cannon, U.S. District Judge
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In his order, Judge Pryor noted that “many of the complaints” against Judge Cannon “call on the Chief Judge of the U.S. Circuit to remove her from the classified documents case and reassign the case to another judge” and “question the correctness of her rulings and the delays in adjudicating the cases.”
The chief justice also noted that while the judicial grievance procedure “is not the proper avenue for seeking review of Judge Cannon’s order, her order is nevertheless subject to the regular appellate review.”
Pryor also argued in his order that little evidence had been presented to justify the move to remove Cannon from his position.
Former President Trump will headline the Republican National Committee’s spring donor retreat on May 4, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Donald Trump 2024 Election Campaign)
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“While much of the complaint alleges improper motives for delaying the litigation, those allegations are merely speculative and not supported by any evidence,” the judge wrote. “The complaint also fails to establish that Judge Cannon was required to recuse himself from the litigation because he was appointed by then-President Trump.”
