Judge Cannon—Yes, Judge Cannon!—Just Shot Down a Trump Delay Tactic
Judge Aileen Cannon isn’t buying Donald Trump’s newest delay tactic in the classified documents case.
On Thursday, Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, shot down the GOP front-runner’s latest effort to postpone pretrial deadlines, instead opting to keep that date set on February 22.
But the ruling comes with an exception—noting that she’ll still consider measures filed at the eleventh hour if the legal teams can prove they’re necessary.
Although small, it’s another recent indication that Cannon—who has reportedly taken a leisurely approach to the case’s pre-trial proceedings—is looking to push forward.
Last week, Cannon pushed back against another Trump team request with a similar friendly addendum, refusing to delay the trial itself while writing in a nine-page order that they could revisit the schedule come March.
Postponing this criminal trial until the November election means that Trump will possibly never have to answer for allegedly stealing droves of classified documents from the federal government. Should he win re-election to the White House, Trump is expected to direct the Department of Justice to shut it down
Trump faces 40 felony charges in the case: 32 charges for violating the Espionage Act by retaining at least 102 documents with classified documents, six charges for obstruction, and two for making false statements regarding his possession of the documents.
Two of his associates are also charged in the case—longtime aide Walt Nauta, who’s charged with six felonies, and Mar-a-Lago employee Carlos De Oliveira, who faces four felonies. Both of them, along with Trump, attempted to destroy security footage after federal officials requested it, according to a superseding indictment released July 2023.
The trial is currently scheduled for May 20, in Fort Pierce, Florida.