Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, previously scheduled jury selection for the case to begin May 20. However, in her order Tuesday, she scheduled more than a dozen additional hearings and attorney deadlines through July so she could rule on “a myriad of interconnected issues ahead of trial and CIPA ”, referring to the Classified Information Procedures Act, before the trial could begin.
Trump was indicted on 37 counts, including 31 alleged violations of the Espionage Act for “willful retention of national defense information,” related to his handling of classified documents brought to his Mar-a club -Lago after leaving office.
Legal experts and political strategists who spoke to Business Insider said the move was no surprise since she repeatedly sided with Trump on issues raised during the proceedings, putting thus putting a damper on the case of special counsel Jack Smith.
“With Judge Canon reversing his own decision today, there is a good chance the case will be pushed beyond the election,” litigation and appeals attorney Katie Charleston told BI , whose jury trial experience includes extensive experience reviewing contracts and government procedures.
If that’s the case, and Trump is elected president again in November’s presidential election, it’s possible he’ll get rid of every single case brought by the Justice Department, meaning he could completely avoid this trial.
This is just Trump’s latest legal victory in the classified documents case handed to him by Cannon. Previously, she ruled that a special expert should review classified documents seized by the FBI at Mar-A-Lago, although the decision was ultimately reversed in a scathing opinion from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Cannon also previously rejected the special prosecutor’s request to withhold the names of potential witnesses in the case, although legal experts told BI earlier this year that the decision would likely also be overturned on appeal. Last month, Cannon agreed to the prosecutor’s request to redact the names of witnesses, according to the Associated Press, although she refused to block the disclosure of witness statements in pretrial motions.
CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid pointed out that Cannon’s critics questioned whether his pro-Trump decisions were due to bias, inexperience or “analysis paralysis.”
“Judge Cannon ruled in favor of Trump on almost every possible level, so I’m not surprised that she delayed the trial indefinitely,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told BI after the latest delay. trial. “She is inexperienced and appears outdated. She has made a number of bizarre decisions that are not supported by logic or the law, and she has already been overturned several times by the 11th Circuit.”
Rahmani added that the delay is a significant advantage for the former president, “especially in the midst of another trial and the presidential campaign,” making the decision “another victory for Trump in South Florida.”
Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer, told CNN on Tuesday that Cannon’s latest move was “a combination of bias and incompetence.”
“Frankly, I think his goal was always to keep this case from going to trial,” he said.
Politically, Cannon’s decision galvanizes Trump’s allies, according to Charlie Kolean, chief strategist for the RED PAC, which supports Republican candidates including Trump. Kolean told BI that for his supporters, the decision “proves Trump’s point” that the lawsuits are “a political witch hunt,” indicating that Trump supporters generally view the decision as proof that the law is on Trump’s side.
While many legal experts have suggested that Cannon offered Trump favorable treatment throughout the proceedings, the confidential information available in the case requires careful review, meaning such delays are to be expected, according to the attorney and legal analyst Tre Lovell.
But whatever his intention, it’s still a victory for Trump, whose legal strategy in his four criminal cases is to “delay, delay, delay,” according to Doron Kalir, a professor at the University of Law School. Cleveland State.
This is just the latest example of one of Trump’s trials being delayed. The Jan. 6 trial is on hold while the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity, and the trial in Georgia has been delayed due to allegations of a romantic relationship between DA Fani Willis and lead prosecutor Nathan Wade.
In light of Cannon’s latest delay, Kalir said it was not surprising given his previous actions in the case.
He also noted that Trump’s lawyers have managed to delay three of the four lawsuits filed against him – with the exception of the secrecy case currently underway in New York – calling it “a pretty impressive record!” »
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