Former President Donald Trump's request to have the allegations against him about his improper handling of confidential documents after leaving the White House was denied by a federal judge on Thursday. In his request to have the charges dropped, the Republican presidential contender stated that he was entitled to maintain the records under the Presidential Records Act.
Trump-appointed federal judge rejects his bid
Trump appointee District Judge Aileen Cannon denied Trump's motion but left open the possibility that the matter may come up again during the trial. In June, Trump, then 77 years old, submitted a not-guilty plea to federal charges of making false statements, conspiring to obstruct justice, and illegally keeping information related to national defense.
The accusation states that he obstructed government attempts to obtain the sensitive data, which included documents from the National Security Agency, the CIA, and the Pentagon, and that he left them unattended at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. Prosecutors have suggested that the trial begin on July 8, but Cannon has not yet decided on a date or addressed several other motions filed by Trump's legal team.
Who is Aileen Cannon?
Early life and education
Aileen Mercedes Cannon was born in 1981, in Cali, Colombia. Cannon was raised in Miami, Florida, and went to the elite Ransom Everglades School there. Cannon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 2003. She spent a semester studying in Spain while in college, and she contributed to El Nuevo Herald, a daily published in Miami in Spanish.
After that, Cannon went to the University of Michigan Law School, where she competed in the school's moot court competition and served as an articles editor for the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform. She graduated in 2007 with a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, and Order of the Coif membership.
Career
From 2009 to 2012, Cannon worked for the corporate legal firm Gibson Dunn. From 2013 until 2020, she served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida. In November 2020, the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination as a district judge, which had been made by then-President Donald Trump.
Cannon chaired the 2022 United States of America v. Donald J. Trump lawsuit. She accepted Trump's request for a special master to examine the files, and she directed the US government to cease utilizing materials taken from his private club and home, Mar-a-Lago, in its probe.
Cannon's order was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which determined that Cannon had improperly exercised her jurisdiction over the matter. Next, Cannon dismissed Trump's lawsuit per instructions from the Eleventh Circuit. Cannon has been in charge of Trump's federal criminal prosecution since an indictment in June 2023. Several legal experts have demanded that she step out from the case due to her handling of the civil lawsuit brought against Trump.