Fort Pierce - Wednesday June 14, 2023: The Judge who has been appointed to hear the documents trial of former President Trump is Aileen Cannon who herself was appointed to the Federal bench by the former President. She presides over the Federal Court House in Fort Pierce and concerns have been raised about her objectivity.
However Fort Lauderdale defense attorney Richard Serafini believes those concerns are "overblown."
He spent 10 years working as a federal prosecutor, he is familiar with Judge Cannon and the federal court system and he maintains that her selection to preside over the Trump documents trial was routine.
Serafini: “The way it done in the Southern District is that it’s a random selection of Judge.
WQCS: “Nothing unusual?”
Serafini: "Luck of the draw, yea.”
However, her initial rulings in the documents case last year drew sharp criticism from legal scholars and the 11th Circuit, which reversed her appointment of a Special Master to review the classified documents seized by the FBI during a search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Estate. The 3-Judge panel, two of whom were also appointed by Trump, called her ruling an abuse of discretion, and said she had “improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction.”
Serafini however defends Cannon, saying she was facing legal issues that had never been tried before. “It was really a case of first impression. She looked at the law, made some rulings that were favorable to the Plaintiff and the 11th Circuit simply said, ‘You got it wrong.’ And I think what you’re going to find in this trial is that both sides will get a fair trial from Judge Cannon.”
Another question of interest is whether Judge Cannon, who lives in Vero Beach, and is assigned to the Federal Court in Fort Pierce, will ever hold the trial or hearings in Fort Pierce.
“It is certainly conceivable that if the attorneys are just showing up arguing motions that there could be something locally," said Serafini. "But I would tend to think, when you get to the point of trying the case the former President is going to be present and it’s much more likely to be in Miami than anywhere else for security reasons.”