Never mind. Vito Corleone reference retracted.
FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence, August 8, 2022, Case Dismissed July 15, 2024
Just a look back at Peter Schorsch, the reporter who first broke the story. He says he called people in Trumpworld to confirm that the FBI were really searching the place. I wonder who they were?
Cannon may feel freer in handling Trump because of the other cases.
For example, this morning she…
How unusual is this request by Judge Cannon?
According to this guy, pretty unusual.
Can someone please explain the last few posts in small words for us non-lawyers? 
@Procrustus, what do you think about this?
The Government’s motion for a Garcia hearing seems appropriate. The Motion explains why.
Judge Cannon has requested briefing from the defendant concerning their position. Also appropriate. The she struck two filings “under seal,” because she said the requirements for sealed documents were not met. (that happens now and then, and is not on its face unusual. But it’s hard to discern what she thinks the defect is.)
The bizarre part is this:
Among other topics as raised in the Motion, the response shall address the legal propriety of using an out-of-district grand jury proceeding to continue to investigate and/or to seek post-indictment hearings on matters pertinent to the instant indicted matter in this district.
No one raised this issue, as far as I can tell. I don’t know enough about Federal Criminal law to know for sure, but she seems to be looking for a controversy that doesn’t exist. It’s another red flag to raise concern about her outlook on this case. I’m sure some former Federal Prosecutor will explain it tonight on TV.
The DOJ filed a motion saying that Nautas attorney might be conflicted because the attorney represents several people related to this matter.
Seemingly out of nowhere the Judge is instead focused on whether DOJ improperly used the DC grand jury to later bring charges in Florida. You should use the grand jury in the same place you bring the charges.
Hard to tell if the grand jury thing has any merit.
These are the basic issues described above but I left out my thoughts/commentary.
Thank you. I do think you are right that it’s another hash mark in the column for a prejudiced judge.
I think it was Andrew Weissman who already said that he expects Smith to file a response that is nearly obsequious in its patient explanation to Cannon about why her concerns on this point are without merit. He suggested that if Cannon clings to this approach (as I fully expect she will), it will likely be time for Smith to take up her assignment with the Eleventh Circuit. He also pointed out that the Eleventh could act sua sponte to reassign the case.
Thanks!
What Florida info (supposedly) came out of the DC grand jury?
That would really surprise me. Any “reassignment” would probably come from the district, without explanation. “Happens all the time, nothing to see here. Routine transfer.”
ETA: In California, if I recall correctly, litigants have a right to a different judge if a case is overturned on appeal. That is not the case in the Federal system.
Not just that, but IMO a really shitty judge who does not seem to have awareness that her shitty rulings are going to be looked at rather closely now.
That does make more sense if it happened like that.
As you know, I’ve been worried about Cannon from the time of her second dressing-down by the Eleventh Circuit as not just being inexperienced and ignorant, but very much in the Trump camp. I hope this is remedied one way or another. She is making a mockery of our justice system.
ETA: It’s sadly the case that occasionally, a judge will act as “the second DA in the courtroom.” Much more rare for a judge to act as the second defense attorney in the courtroom – but I fear that’s what we have here.
And I have been cautiously optimistic about her. This recent order is moving me towards your view. The real indication will be her order on the Garcia issue and whatever she thinks the DC grand jury issue is.
It will. I fervently hope yours is the outcome we see.
That’s one of the things that gets me. Even bad judges usually have enough humility to demonstrate shame when they get called on the carpet by a higher court and pointedly reamed for their bad ruling(s). Not this idiot. I’d call her Honey Badger Cannon, but I kind of like honey badgers.
Ring Of Fire rips Cannon apart. “the Trump-appointed judge overseeing his documents trial - might actually be a genuine idiot. According to new reports, she made multiple fundamental errors in a criminal trial that she handled in June, and the mistakes were so bad and violated the defendant’s Constitutional rights to the point where the verdict might be completely thrown out”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGHMeGNJrRk
My mind jumped to the possibility that there might be a secondary indictment in New Jersey, or something like that. Your theory makes more sense and, plausibly, does seem worth asking.
Obviously, the popular conception is that Cannon is in Trump’s pocket. But I think there’s an equally or more likely probability that she’s simply aware of the enormity of the matter before her and she’s freaking out about it, silently. Having a former President tried in your court and having the case taken away, be undone on appeal, or whatever all else would be horrible. Trump is going to use any excuse possible to call the whole thing politically motivated and his lawyers are going to be looking for any technicalities that they can glom onto to try and overturn it.
Even though it might be obvious why the grand jury was in a separate state from the charging state, getting that on the record for posterity might not be a bad idea. It’s like the age old advise when you’re worried about what someone is doing or worried about strange changes at work: Document everything. Get it on the record that you did everything by the book and didn’t leave any stone unturned.
(Or, she’s in Trump’s pocket. But, as said, I don’t think that any of her strange actions, to-date, are indicative of that.)
According to the talking head experts I’ve heard since Cannon’s ruling came down is that running a grand jury in a venue outside the one where the case is being heard is rather commonly done. Nothing nefarious about it, as Cannon seems intent on trying make it seem.
It’s usually done for the convenience of witnesses who live a distance away from the trial venue – like people who live in and around Washington D.C. Presumably this is the situation for a large number of the witnesses who will testify in the Mar-A-Lago case.