Who is Aileen Cannon? Trump-appointed judge in classified documents case

Aileen Cannon, a federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump, has been assigned to oversee a new federal criminal case against him in Miami pertaining to classified documents, as per media reports. Cannon gained public attention when she presided over court proceedings involving the FBI's search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The Florida district judge Cannon was assigned to preside over the case involving Donald Trump's classified documents where she ruled in favor of Trump during an earlier hearing last year. She was appointed to the federal bench by the former president three years ago.

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However, Cannon faced criticism from an appeals court panel for granting Trump's request to have an independent special master review the documents. This decision resulted in a slowdown of the justice department's investigation and raised concerns about Cannon's impartiality.

Confirmation and controversy

Trump nominated Aileen Cannon for the federal bench in May 2020, and she was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 56-21 shortly after the presidential election. Prior to this high-profile case, Cannon had stayed relatively out of the national spotlight.

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Her decision to appoint a third-party "special master" to oversee the review of evidence in classified case was later overturned by a conservative panel of judges on the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Professional background

Before her appointment, Cannon served as an assistant US attorney in Florida, working in the Major Crimes Division and as an appellate attorney. She also clerked for a federal judge after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School and practiced law at a firm in Washington, DC. During her career, she handled various cases, including those related to government investigations.

Role in the new case

If she remains on this new case, Cannon will have significant authority to control the timing and evidence presented, as well as review the Justice Department's legal theory.

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Trump is facing a total of 37 counts in the investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith, which alleges mishandling of classified documents. This indictment marks the first instance of a former president being indicted for federal crimes.

Charges and court appearance

Trump is expected to appear in Miami federal court on Tuesday, where Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who signed the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago, will read the charges against him. The charges include 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, as well as various other charges such as conspiracy to obstruct justice, false statements, and concealing documents in a federal investigation.

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