This is SO frustrating. We the people have a right to a speedy trial. How do we get our rights addressed? Seriously, what can WE do when this right is violated?
The real problem is that there are so many frustrations surrounding everything trump. Everything MAGA.
I hope that there will come a time when a week, no, a day could go by without seeing his picture or his stupid dance, or hearing his irritating voice or having news reported about him.
Basically, I'd like to see him fall off the edge of the flat earth they all believe in.
*Judge* Cannon had this case wired from the kickoff...Granting all matter of motions for the defense early on to slow orderly proceedings down, to the "special Master" carry-on, but most importantly, seemingly undaunted by the rubbishing she received from SC Smith's appeals to the 11th CA, ALL granted for the prosecution. But no, now it's one step forward and two steps backward, putting Smith through more rigamarole in the guise of "transparency"...well, right, who ISN'T in favor of less govt. secrecy, whatever. But given tRump's track record of calling out witnesses and other principals involved in his many trials, and rank intimidation directed thereto, how can Cannon simply dismiss Smith's contentions without providing sound reasoning for gainsaying his concerns?
This trial was heading for the sort of clusterf**k that Cannon advertised early on, and I firmly believe that the judge reckoned that all the real action was up in DC, in Judge Chutkan's courtroom, and Cannon could carry on her merry way with minimum interference AFTER the early dustups with the 11th CA.
SC Smith is in a quandary here, as the trial date of May will soon be shifted to late this year at the earliest, with yet more motions coming from tRump's co-defendants, and the DC trial *likely* to begin in earnest early this summer, so what does he do to jump-start the show? Probably not much at all, IMHO. All the action will be in DC in the *near* future, and prosecutorial resources need to be brought to bear upon the most critical of Smith's two impending cases.
I’m not sure that Jack smith could have filed the case in another venue. Usually , the correct venue is where the wrong occurred, not where the prosecutor thinks they have the best chance. The big problem is this is a one judge district.
The Southern District of Florida has roughly 26 judges, but also some vacancies and some senior judges who may be less active. The SD of Florida is divided into geographic Divisions, but there’s more than one judge in any one of them. There are reportedly 7 active judges with chambers in the West Palm Beach Division where this case was brought and 3 senior ones who may hear cases. The assignment was reportedly made at random among the judges. I’d say, bad luck.
Said it before but I'll say it again, Smith made a huge strategic, and now tactical, blunder pursuing the docs case against Trump in Cannon's jurisdication. Add on top of that, AG Garland also made a huge strategic blunder in waiting so long to name Smith as a special prosecutor. IMHO, Democrats have been too damn timid about pursuing the crimes of Donald John Trump. Shoulda been left up to Doug Jones as AG because he knows how to go after the political powers that be.
“What if” and “if only”. Done is done. You might be reminded about the FBI slow walking the Mar a Lago search and then allowing some areas to go unchecked just on some joker’s word. Garland wasn’t confirmed until March and then no doubt found a DOJ in complete shambles after Barr, Clark and god knows what else. Oh and lest I forget there was the little matter of Jan 6 that had a good 2 month head start on AG Garland before he’d even walked in the door. As for Jack Smith and his investigations and indictments, all of us have been so desperate to see trump flayed and imprisoned, we have loaded all sorts of expectations on Garland, Smith and all the judges and prosecutors who have found themselves in the middle of this maelstrom. The Justice system is not a speed demon and things don’t always work out the way we would have them(remember the Mueller Report and what Barr did to that?). The one thing we cannot do and remain sane is to second guess the system that is in place that is charged with protecting this country’s interest. Not one of us is walking in those shoes. Not one of us is charged with making the big decisions. The best thing we can all do is keep the faith that the correct decisions will be made and that AG Garland’s faith in Jack Smith’s abilities will produce good, sound, un-appealable results that will see most of the power behind the insurrection put where they won’t be heard from for a very long time.
All that says is that Merrick Garland shoulda hit the ground running on day #1. And if the justice system is not a "speed demon," then it begs the question of whether our justice system was designed to stop a dictator wannabe in his or her tracks. At this stage, it appears not. The judicial system is far too sluggish for the times we are in. And who is going to keep the faith if Donald John Trump is re-elected, asserts his dictatorial powers on day 1, and invokes the Insurrection Act to put down peaceful protesters? And prosecutes (or worse) his political rivals. In these last few years I've lost faith in our system of checks and balances, mostly due to Congressional failures, but now the judicial system seems to failing democracy too.
The speed of our judicial system can be efficient. It takes courage and a willingness by all to hold a recalcitrant defendant accountable. Words such as rocket docket, fast track, etc. are used to describe a system already in place that can be applied.
Follow those with power/influence to affect an outcome at each step like Judge Eileen Cannon and discovery of their political views or other bias will be found driving their decisions if said rulings unduly favor one party over another consistently. In her case she “showed her ass” earlier as demonstrated by the Eleventh Circuit’s quick reversal of her two earlier rulings. The Circuit’s rebuke was swift and harsh.
Hopefully Cannon’s early bias can be used to boot strap any new, “coloring outside the lines” as a continuation of her bias.
Perhaps it can be when dealing with the ordinary, average guy (apologies to Joe Walsh!). But in donald john trump's case it's slow as molasses, and democracy is circling the drain.
The US Supreme Court can move mountains quickly when they want to do so, as can federal trial judges and appellate courts. This case is a non-starter for the courts because agent orange desires to delay the cases - potentially enabling him to dismiss all cases against he and his minions if he rigs the system and becomes prez again.
I love the agent orange(and not capitalized) reference. What amazes me is the utter failure of others to hang a nickname on Trump. So many words rhyme with Trump like hump, rump, stump, chump, dump, clump, etc.
Certainly we can come up with one that will stick and infuriate him. I am not in favor of insulting others but hey, it is about time, eh?
I disagree. Smith has acted in such a fashion that, if, and when he moves to have the trump (lower case intentional) nominated and MAGA party appointed judge removed there will no prejudicial actions involved. Democrats were not "too damn timid," they were and are cautious. When one is dealing with a rabid animal, one doesn't poke said beast. Not only is trump cornered, but his mignons tend to be rabid.
Trump has said he favored the "uneducated;" it seems he elevated one to the bench. And it is working to his advantage.
Don't blame Garland and the Democrats for how they are playing the cards they were dealt, the deck was pretty much stacked against them before the first hand was dealt. You can thank the above referenced rabid animal for that.
I respect your disagreement but many of my bid D and little d friends have been losing confidence in the cautious approach taken by Garland, and to a lesser extent, Smith. I haven't voted R in 40 years and I'll go to my grave never voting for an R. I do blame D's for being too timid and so do many of my Blue Dog D's that are still around. I came of age in rural Alabama, I've been around a rabid dog or two, and yes, yes you do poke the rabid beast, and HARD. Or else the rabid beast will get you.
I consider Cannon is committing treason. Anyone not holding the line with the documents is perfectly fine with his selling them to the highest bidder. We list u decoder agents during his administration. That’s murder if the documents relate. The judge doesn’t care about the facts nor about the damage that was done and can still be done based on the documents recovered. This grifter took them to make money- period, that’s all every damn thing is to him. Apparently she hasn’t actually bothered to review what he kept out in the open, which is really strange since she has to rule on how they can be presented in court. We have plenty of documentation that witnesses are at risk of physical harm- and absolutely guaranteed that harassment will occur. She is as immoral as tfg- and I can’t believe this third string bench warmer was assigned this case and that the chief judge is just fine with this shit. But that is how it is- get an incompetent judge with NO DAMNED EXPERIENCE. And we the people are screwed. This case is the simplist. The holding of classified documents without the right or clearance.
It’s time that every damn candidate for president, vote, senator and representative MUST be ABLE to hold a clearance in their own right before entering a political race. The world is entirely too complicated for the compromised people to run for office. We should be able to know whether our candidates can pass the background checks for classified documents BEFORE they seek office. Yep, I said it. Stop electing people with dubious backgrounds stop them from the jump.
And we need a law that no one who fails a background check can work in the buildings- period. The damage done by Jared will eventually be revealed- and an entire generation of thoughtful patriots will never again vote for the thuglicans. They’ve proven through multiple administrations that every damn thing is for sale. Damn them.
And I lived in rural south western Virginia - no, you don't poke it. You bait a trap, you set it, you capture it and dispose of it......with as little fuss as possible. Remember the mess from the first time the DOJ et al tried to catch this rabid beast? Robert Mueller? He was almost destroyed and he was humiliated. He is a Republican. Don't you think that was just a bit of a cautionary tale? I do. We are all by-standers and the losing of faith in the institutions? Just the way the MAGAets want it.
Well, that's not the way we approached and handled rabid dogs in rural Alabama. That's more like we handle a poor stray. One does not capture and dispose of a rabid animal with little fuss. We poked 'em with a shotgun or rifle. Yep though, Mueller was a really big disappointment but how is that a cautionary tale that informs us about Garland's oh so cautious tiptoeing around Trump and his many crimes?
Comparing any other species with this sleazy, arrogant, crooked creep is doing a disservice to animals.
Think back to how many years this creep has been literally abusing women, lying, cheating subcontractors on "his" buildings, having how many 4? 6" bankruptcies, even with casinos! Bragging on what he could get away with around women or girls in the pageants he "oversaw". Way before he got to be such a tv "star"! This kind of underhandedness started when he was a child AND HE GOT AWAY WITH IT ALL - no consequence!
So now, we expect someone to just magically and legally take him down?
It would seem thats a little bit bigger ask - dont you think?
As someone said - several times - he did it all and right out in the open!
So yeah, "someone" should have stopped him - done something - long long ago.
I hope & pray he gets - well, hes NEVER going to get what he deserves - but maybe, maybe, an orange uniform & prison bars - I hope.
Hope ain't a strategy for saving democracy. And no, I don't think it's too big an ask for the judicial system to stop Trump in his tracks. But I do think our judicial system has failed to live up to all the hype we've been taught over the years that no one is above the law.
Well, once burned twice shy. Garland is, by nature, cautious. He knows, first hand, what happens when one is a Democrat dealing with MAGAets. Remember when Pres Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court? He knows what the cauldron feels like and he, I think, decided nothing would be done until every "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed. That takes time.
Carol-Ann, I am not sure what kind of trap you could use to catch chump--and I can't afford to bait it with the one thing that would interest him.
I'm in Georgia, and we DO poke the rabid dog, with a pump shotgun loaded with #4 shells. Not implying anything here, just talking about dogs to reply to your comment. We have to do it like this in rural GA, to protect people and other precious animals. No one likes those belly injections!
In my neck of western NC, you just pull out your rifle and shoot the rabid beast but since we can’t do that in this case, we have to work within the framework we were handed. The time to build a better trap for this beast isn’t in the middle of the hunt though.
Never practiced criminal law, so perhaps Joyce can address this, but here’s what I think led to prosecution in the specific Florida District where Judge Cannon is assigned: Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 18: “Unless a statute or these rules permit otherwise, the government must prosecute an offense in a district where the offense was committed.” Also it continues to provide that regard is to be given to convenience of the defendant, witnesses, and so on.
Recall that Jack Smith had 1 grand jury in DC in the investigative phase, but then presented sufficient evidence to a SE Florida Grand Jury to get the indictment. The crimes alleged are based on the withholding of the documents at Mar A Lago rather than the initial action of carrying them off from DC. We don’t really know who packed them and on whose orders in the chaos of Trump’s decamping from the White House in January 2021m so that’s really not the basis of the case. Would we all have preferred Smith bring the case in the DC District Court, avoiding the risk of getting Judge Cannon? Sure, but Rule 18 suggests that the Florida District in question was properly chosen.
I never practiced law period. And never much cared for Holiday Inn Express. But it's painful to see how the judicial system is letting Trump play the court's like a fool. Based on your cite, it seems the case could have just as easily been pursued in D.C., the place where the purloined documents resided. Who packed up the docs and who moved them are beside the point. They were removed from D.C. and wound up in Florida. If Willie Sutton robbed a bank in D.C. and spent the money in Miami, wouldn't the D.C. courts have jurisdiction over where the money was spent? Trump has been afforded more legal leeway than any other political criminal defendant ever witnessed. To me this says that our judicial system is a sham for not being able to stop a dictator in waiting. I hope I'm proven wrong.
The more I read comments in this string, the more I realize I don’t need to read them or share my thoughts as a retired attorney. Folks are here to vent, and so be it. There are other comments strings, some on other Substack posts, where most folks are there to understand and talk about legal concepts. Butting out now….
I wish you wouldn’t butt out because I personally very much appreciate another attorney’s perspective. I retired from the federal court system several years ago (not as an attorney) and truly miss the intellectual stimulation of a good legal argument AND I’ve been waiting for a good legal argument from the defense side of all four cases of Turnip’s and have yet to hear one.
Thanks. Maybe I just shouldn’t respond to folks who’re clearly wanting to vent, an understandable desire nowadays. Joyce is amazing, isn’t she! As an emeritus member of the Bar, I can’t get enough of this either!
I believe that AG Garland is not the right person for the job. He's an excellent judge and the US missed out big-time by not having him on the Supreme Court. However, he has been too timid in pursuing obvious, in-your-face, there-for-all-to-see criminal actions by D J Trump. Period. A less timid, more aggressive person is needed in the job. Hillary Clinton I say.
I admire Garland for putting away Tim McVay, but he was not cut out to do the cut throat work required to put Donald John Trump away. And our democratic future will pay the price.
I speak from some, small experience, having served as an Asst DA in Manhattan about 100 years ago. We were taught to be aggressive but fair, assertive but decorous, and never to lose sight of the fact that we were advocates, not judges. I believe Garland lost the vision, like a combat vet gone to “fat” in the offices, not at the front lines.
Agree on all points made 150%. In spite of “normal judicial procedures,” Cannon is so clearly biased toward giving citizen Trump vastly more deference than his actual status warrants, that she is distorting the judicial process well beyond what is due to any defendant. Time to take the necessary steps to put this case in far more qualified and appropriately unbiased, even handed and depoliticized judicial hands.
I don’t want to agree with you, but I’m finding it harder and harder no to. We are living in a nightmare and it’s in our faces way more than any of us would want. MSM is full of it, it’s how they make money, I see very little of it out in the community, but turn on the TV or look at the internet and his ugly face is everywhere. The only time I ever want to see his face again is when they lead him into his cell and slam the door closed. That’s how I feel and I’ve felt that way for a long time. Can you imagine what it must be like to be on the inside of these prosecutions, it must be like swimming uphill through jello, and then we have judges that want to protect him, rather than be neutral and protect the public. A lot of this is coming to a head and we may lance this boil yet but it’s not near as sure as any of us would like. 🙏
Now that the gratuitious Hur hatchet job is out on President Biden has been released I'll say this also about Garland...he bent way too far over backward to appear apolitical, and the Trump appointee Garland appointed as special council stabs the guy in the back that elevated him to the AG position. To me this demonstrates again that Democrats don't have the stomach to fight the likes of Donald John Trump and his cult followers.
I gave up on the Mar-a-Lago case long ago when it became apparent to me that Judge Cannon was in the pocket of Trump and his lawyers. Unless Smith is willing or able to challenge her right to stay on the case, anything Smith does is just an attempt to limit the damage.
What Trump did was so clearly illegal, that it pains me to see him get away with it!
Having worked for a circuit judge, I truly feel embarrassed at the overwhelming appalling behavior of Cannon, Thomas, Alito, et al. What happened to avoiding the appearance of impropriety? Upholding the integrity of the Judiciary? Disposing of matters promptly, efficiently, and fairly?
The Heritage Foundation, Donald John Trump, all the other radical right wing white christian nationalists, along with assorted dixiecrats turned republicans is what happend. The south is rising from the primoridal ooze, and it ain't purty.
I'm in a conservative part of California and can attest that the South is by no means the only problem. It's thanks to seriously misinformed and, frankly, mean-spirited people THROUGHOUT the land that we get Houses of Representatives such as the one we're currently stuck with. Well, that and misconduct around redistricting in certain states. MAGA-like attitudes shouldn't really account for more than 20% of a population in a reasonably functioning democracy. We are well beyond that, with no foreseeable path back to normalcy.
Well, I guess they have a point about some things, like lax prosecution for shoplifting that leads to organized grabs of large amounts of lower-cost merchandise valued in the thousands of dollars and a sense of impunity among the thieves. They also complain about corruption, which is great, but they don't seem to understand that so many people around Trump and appointed by Trump were extremely corrupt, not to mention Trump himself!
Joyce’s legal mind is obviously much superior to mine. If she says that in essence Cannon is inching up to the line where recusal is warranted but isn’t there yet, so be it.
However, as an ordinary person, I am well past impatience with Cannon and her obvious to me bias in favor of trump. She is obviously ignoring the people’s right to a speedy trial.
I agree that he shouldn’t go to the 11th Circuit for frivolous, small things. However Cannon is clearly putting her finger on the scale. Knowing TFG’s pattern of “outing” people in order to intimidate them, unredacting names of people in documents is irresponsible by her.
Well yes, that's because she's a torch-wielding anarchist operating in a democracy. With Alina Habba getting chucked under a bus recently, Aileen can go back to scribbling "Mrs. Aileen Trump" on all her legal pads in between cases. She's openly doing everything she can for Dear Leader and she has no business on a bench.
Did she not hear or read about E. Jean Carrol’s case where jurists were given numbers and asked not to even use their real names among each other. Even Nikki Haley has asked for Secret Service’s protection. Trump will put everything on his social media and have his minions do the dirty work of harassing everyone.
Trump wants discovery so he can blast names. Before he said there was too much material and they would need extra time. At least she redacted National Security documents, but not the FBI code name. So we will have to wait until next Monday or Tuesday. In my opinion trying to have Cannon recused and letting another Judge take over would be worth the wait.
I so agree with this. At this point Crazy Cannon has delayed it so long, delaying it further by getting a new judge would be worth seeing her publicly humiliated.
One of the things that has bothered me since I first became a citizen, is voting for judges and sheriffs. You are an exemplary lawyer, you have and share knowledge of the law and prosecution and defense. Your husband is a judge. While I love and respect the law and have considerable knowledge of the Constitution, I do not feel that I, and most voters have the requisite knowledge to select anyone to the judiciary. Same thing goes for law enforcement.
It is my contention that these positions should be in the hands of Civil Service, where persons of expertise could write the necessary requirements to fulfill the duties, not just adequately but definitively.
I think this should apply to Supreme Court Justices as well. Granted the majority of legislators have been attorneys in private life, but they are also partisan, and some are doctors, business people, military, etc.
Aileen Cannon is obviously unqualified to judgeship; as are Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, Amy Coney Barrett. And trump isn't even qualified to be dogcatcher, let alone President; still he had the right toappoint three 'loyalists' to the Supreme Court.
The Constitution Article 3 is, in my opinion, the most opaquely written of all the Articles. We need some changes.
It is very interesting to study the legal and judicial systems of other countries. And their constitutions. There are all kinds of interesting things to discover. Sadly, the American constitution is too old. Constitutions drafted more recently address, sometimes pre-emptively, some of the problems one can anticipate in a modern society.
Be careful what you wish for. Some folks on the right have been calling for a Constitutional Convention, and we sure won’t like what they propose. They also control the majority of state legislators, and no Amendment can be ratified without approval by enough state legislators. Here’s what it takes: “An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.” Think we have that behind what we’d like to see done?
Unlike a single amendment that arises from and receives 2/3 votes in both houses of Congress, if they succeed in obtaining enough legislatures to support a Constitutional Convention, they won't be limited to a single issue that may have been their public reason for the need of amending the Constitution. We can expect, in the latter case, efforts to rewrite much if not most of the U.S. Constitution.
In my view, the only way to secure a sane balance of rights, responsibilities and economic protections for progressives, liberals and centrists in the foreseeable future is to divide the country into constitutional zones with differing rights. Conservative states would only sign on they could be exempt from such sanity. There'd have to a be a mechanism by which states could switch zones every 12 years or so, by popular vote. There would also be charities and subsidies that help people relocate on some kind of reciprocal basis. And experts on transitional law would be needed to help devise and apply rules about transitioning to a different set of constitutional rules. I doubt all this would happen. At least states are able, for now, to change their state constitutions in somewhat effective ways in response to right-wing extremist measures.
When I read this,I think about all the people in the past several decades,that have been compelled to take tfg to court, because of money he legit owed them and at the last minute decided he didn't.If one goes back and digs up the newspaper and or magazine articles,the patterns are clear.He would delay and postpone the hearings,until these people were beaten down,and likely broke,spending money they didn't have,to get what they were owed.Eventually he would wear them down to accept a fraction of a settlement,or else file for bankruptcy,and leave these people holding the(very empty)bag,and ruin.And he would traipse off,Scot free.In my view,he's trying this now,but he can't hide his tracks like before.
I am happy there are now folks like Joyce Vance,and others,who are helping keep tfg held to account,and frustrating his efforts to worm his way out of his responsibility for his wrongdoings.
I do wonder,too, especially now,if he didn't at one time have judges and or other court officials,in his back pocket,who allowed his shenanigans to go on unabated.It shouldn't surprise anyone he would stoop to any level to get his way.
Of course the scales are being tipped.He is very accustomed to having the means to do this.Judge Cannon should be removed,and another judge who can't be bought,bribed or threatened,to oversee this case.Someone neutral and disinterested in giving him nothing but enough rope to hang himself with.
If anyone else in this country tried stupid crap like this,they would be all but drawn and quartered for crimes this serious.And if anyone is entitled to and should receive this kind of treatment,it's Trump.Make him pay for his crimes,and actions.
There is a passage in the Bible,To whom much is given,Much is required.This should especially apply to the highest office in our country.If anyone should be made an example,it would be a former POTUS.To let him get away with this opens a door to anyone thinking it's okay to break the law, especially the kinds that would allow our secrets to be bought and sold openly.
What is the necessity for publicly disclosing this potentially classified info? I just don’t understand the relevance as opposed to the potential harm? Please explain? Many thanks
Basically she's doing everything she can to force the government to declassify as much of their info as possible while refusing to protect the safety of potential witnesses or jurors. Pretty much the opposite of what any sane person would want.
It appears to be venal but declassified info and identification goes way too far and doesn’t necessarily help tfg? Her trial has always been scheduled way after the election so that’s not the motive it would seem? Just seems very dangerous to various government agencies and personal, doesn’t it? Anybody? Motivation?
Making the process difficult and dangerous sends a message that can be "useful" if he is re-elected. It could make prosecutors and others hesitate to undertake new proceedings against Trump. That's one thing that comes to mind for me.
Ira, She was hand-picked to be an ultra-right corruptible guy minion. And she was approved without being questioned at her confirmation hearing. She’s doing what she was put into her position to do.
Her rulings do several things that help TFG. Strike fear into witnesses as they are exposed. Flood the zone with as much classified documents to confuse and deflect from the crime if stealing the docs and lying about taking them. Use all that extra info to contaminate the jury pool. Judge Cannon is corrupt and way in over her head. She thinks TFG can win the presidency. And then he owes her a promotion, AG, or Supreme Court. I don’t think it ends the way she thinks it will.
Yes, it also creates opportunities for further delays of the trial as now the prosecutor has to also work to protect the classified docs, people, techniques that gather the confidential info, arguments will be made to redact and each.
judge Cannon may just be low gossip concerning her husbands mob connections . But when i traveled for a food company years ago Staten Island, Cony Island, and a few otherNY spots were in my territory! In those days it was common gossip( especially Cony Island) that Trump, who was known to be mob connected, was deeply involved with the Russian mob. Even a hint of this possible connection worries me as much as the fact she may just as easily be inexperienced and making bad decisions in his favor!
No quick fix? We need a guilty verdict, no matter how long it takes. The issue is too important. He may be sitting in jail sooner than Cannon, or her replacement, tries this case. But it needs to be tried fairly and without help from the judge swaying it his direction.
Judge Cannon is determined to drag the documents case out as long as possible. I contend that she's doing this more for the Federalist Society than for Trump. (Career considerations i.e. Supreme Court)
Given that a U.S. District Court judgeship is a lifelong appointment, have any U.S. District Court judges ever been removed by Congress? Are we fated to have these Trump judicial appointments ripple through coming years?
Yes and yes. Removal of Article III judges is by impeachment if I recall correctly and rarely used.
Trump and the senate republicans rammed through a number of judicial appointments that were very conservative and a number of whom were quite young. Look at Brett, Cavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, young and right wing. Then extrapolate that across numerous district court and circuit Court of Appeals appointments.
Mitch McConnell and the Senate republicans did a tremendous amount of damage to the concept of an independent article 3 Judiciary. In addition, then we have the fiascoand hypocrisy of McConnell in the timing of both the Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett appointments. Both of those should have been made by sitting democratic presidents in a timely manner.
This is SO frustrating. We the people have a right to a speedy trial. How do we get our rights addressed? Seriously, what can WE do when this right is violated?
The real problem is that there are so many frustrations surrounding everything trump. Everything MAGA.
I hope that there will come a time when a week, no, a day could go by without seeing his picture or his stupid dance, or hearing his irritating voice or having news reported about him.
Basically, I'd like to see him fall off the edge of the flat earth they all believe in.
Glad I got that out of my system.
Carry on.
Righteous rant! Thank you!
If only there were a word like superdupermegamonsterally frustrating.
There is now!
*Judge* Cannon had this case wired from the kickoff...Granting all matter of motions for the defense early on to slow orderly proceedings down, to the "special Master" carry-on, but most importantly, seemingly undaunted by the rubbishing she received from SC Smith's appeals to the 11th CA, ALL granted for the prosecution. But no, now it's one step forward and two steps backward, putting Smith through more rigamarole in the guise of "transparency"...well, right, who ISN'T in favor of less govt. secrecy, whatever. But given tRump's track record of calling out witnesses and other principals involved in his many trials, and rank intimidation directed thereto, how can Cannon simply dismiss Smith's contentions without providing sound reasoning for gainsaying his concerns?
This trial was heading for the sort of clusterf**k that Cannon advertised early on, and I firmly believe that the judge reckoned that all the real action was up in DC, in Judge Chutkan's courtroom, and Cannon could carry on her merry way with minimum interference AFTER the early dustups with the 11th CA.
SC Smith is in a quandary here, as the trial date of May will soon be shifted to late this year at the earliest, with yet more motions coming from tRump's co-defendants, and the DC trial *likely* to begin in earnest early this summer, so what does he do to jump-start the show? Probably not much at all, IMHO. All the action will be in DC in the *near* future, and prosecutorial resources need to be brought to bear upon the most critical of Smith's two impending cases.
Cannon gets a pass.
I’m not sure that Jack smith could have filed the case in another venue. Usually , the correct venue is where the wrong occurred, not where the prosecutor thinks they have the best chance. The big problem is this is a one judge district.
Thank you! Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 18. There was a chance they wouldn’t get Judge Cannon, but they needed to follow the rules.
The Southern District of Florida has roughly 26 judges, but also some vacancies and some senior judges who may be less active. The SD of Florida is divided into geographic Divisions, but there’s more than one judge in any one of them. There are reportedly 7 active judges with chambers in the West Palm Beach Division where this case was brought and 3 senior ones who may hear cases. The assignment was reportedly made at random among the judges. I’d say, bad luck.
👌
Felt good, didn’t it👍😁
Said it before but I'll say it again, Smith made a huge strategic, and now tactical, blunder pursuing the docs case against Trump in Cannon's jurisdication. Add on top of that, AG Garland also made a huge strategic blunder in waiting so long to name Smith as a special prosecutor. IMHO, Democrats have been too damn timid about pursuing the crimes of Donald John Trump. Shoulda been left up to Doug Jones as AG because he knows how to go after the political powers that be.
“What if” and “if only”. Done is done. You might be reminded about the FBI slow walking the Mar a Lago search and then allowing some areas to go unchecked just on some joker’s word. Garland wasn’t confirmed until March and then no doubt found a DOJ in complete shambles after Barr, Clark and god knows what else. Oh and lest I forget there was the little matter of Jan 6 that had a good 2 month head start on AG Garland before he’d even walked in the door. As for Jack Smith and his investigations and indictments, all of us have been so desperate to see trump flayed and imprisoned, we have loaded all sorts of expectations on Garland, Smith and all the judges and prosecutors who have found themselves in the middle of this maelstrom. The Justice system is not a speed demon and things don’t always work out the way we would have them(remember the Mueller Report and what Barr did to that?). The one thing we cannot do and remain sane is to second guess the system that is in place that is charged with protecting this country’s interest. Not one of us is walking in those shoes. Not one of us is charged with making the big decisions. The best thing we can all do is keep the faith that the correct decisions will be made and that AG Garland’s faith in Jack Smith’s abilities will produce good, sound, un-appealable results that will see most of the power behind the insurrection put where they won’t be heard from for a very long time.
All that says is that Merrick Garland shoulda hit the ground running on day #1. And if the justice system is not a "speed demon," then it begs the question of whether our justice system was designed to stop a dictator wannabe in his or her tracks. At this stage, it appears not. The judicial system is far too sluggish for the times we are in. And who is going to keep the faith if Donald John Trump is re-elected, asserts his dictatorial powers on day 1, and invokes the Insurrection Act to put down peaceful protesters? And prosecutes (or worse) his political rivals. In these last few years I've lost faith in our system of checks and balances, mostly due to Congressional failures, but now the judicial system seems to failing democracy too.
The speed of our judicial system can be efficient. It takes courage and a willingness by all to hold a recalcitrant defendant accountable. Words such as rocket docket, fast track, etc. are used to describe a system already in place that can be applied.
Follow those with power/influence to affect an outcome at each step like Judge Eileen Cannon and discovery of their political views or other bias will be found driving their decisions if said rulings unduly favor one party over another consistently. In her case she “showed her ass” earlier as demonstrated by the Eleventh Circuit’s quick reversal of her two earlier rulings. The Circuit’s rebuke was swift and harsh.
Hopefully Cannon’s early bias can be used to boot strap any new, “coloring outside the lines” as a continuation of her bias.
Perhaps it can be when dealing with the ordinary, average guy (apologies to Joe Walsh!). But in donald john trump's case it's slow as molasses, and democracy is circling the drain.
The US Supreme Court can move mountains quickly when they want to do so, as can federal trial judges and appellate courts. This case is a non-starter for the courts because agent orange desires to delay the cases - potentially enabling him to dismiss all cases against he and his minions if he rigs the system and becomes prez again.
I love the agent orange(and not capitalized) reference. What amazes me is the utter failure of others to hang a nickname on Trump. So many words rhyme with Trump like hump, rump, stump, chump, dump, clump, etc.
Certainly we can come up with one that will stick and infuriate him. I am not in favor of insulting others but hey, it is about time, eh?
I like citizen trump because it is all he is and I feel quiet he hates being reminded of that fact.
Check out Jeff Tiedrich’s Substack if you want nicknames for the orange man.
Such as (one of my favorites), "Agolf Shitler."
I like “Turnip.”
Easy to see and feel the “rigging” going on? Systems be damned?
What are WE the People seeing in OUR Country?
Well said
I disagree. Smith has acted in such a fashion that, if, and when he moves to have the trump (lower case intentional) nominated and MAGA party appointed judge removed there will no prejudicial actions involved. Democrats were not "too damn timid," they were and are cautious. When one is dealing with a rabid animal, one doesn't poke said beast. Not only is trump cornered, but his mignons tend to be rabid.
Trump has said he favored the "uneducated;" it seems he elevated one to the bench. And it is working to his advantage.
Don't blame Garland and the Democrats for how they are playing the cards they were dealt, the deck was pretty much stacked against them before the first hand was dealt. You can thank the above referenced rabid animal for that.
I respect your disagreement but many of my bid D and little d friends have been losing confidence in the cautious approach taken by Garland, and to a lesser extent, Smith. I haven't voted R in 40 years and I'll go to my grave never voting for an R. I do blame D's for being too timid and so do many of my Blue Dog D's that are still around. I came of age in rural Alabama, I've been around a rabid dog or two, and yes, yes you do poke the rabid beast, and HARD. Or else the rabid beast will get you.
I consider Cannon is committing treason. Anyone not holding the line with the documents is perfectly fine with his selling them to the highest bidder. We list u decoder agents during his administration. That’s murder if the documents relate. The judge doesn’t care about the facts nor about the damage that was done and can still be done based on the documents recovered. This grifter took them to make money- period, that’s all every damn thing is to him. Apparently she hasn’t actually bothered to review what he kept out in the open, which is really strange since she has to rule on how they can be presented in court. We have plenty of documentation that witnesses are at risk of physical harm- and absolutely guaranteed that harassment will occur. She is as immoral as tfg- and I can’t believe this third string bench warmer was assigned this case and that the chief judge is just fine with this shit. But that is how it is- get an incompetent judge with NO DAMNED EXPERIENCE. And we the people are screwed. This case is the simplist. The holding of classified documents without the right or clearance.
It’s time that every damn candidate for president, vote, senator and representative MUST be ABLE to hold a clearance in their own right before entering a political race. The world is entirely too complicated for the compromised people to run for office. We should be able to know whether our candidates can pass the background checks for classified documents BEFORE they seek office. Yep, I said it. Stop electing people with dubious backgrounds stop them from the jump.
And we need a law that no one who fails a background check can work in the buildings- period. The damage done by Jared will eventually be revealed- and an entire generation of thoughtful patriots will never again vote for the thuglicans. They’ve proven through multiple administrations that every damn thing is for sale. Damn them.
And I lived in rural south western Virginia - no, you don't poke it. You bait a trap, you set it, you capture it and dispose of it......with as little fuss as possible. Remember the mess from the first time the DOJ et al tried to catch this rabid beast? Robert Mueller? He was almost destroyed and he was humiliated. He is a Republican. Don't you think that was just a bit of a cautionary tale? I do. We are all by-standers and the losing of faith in the institutions? Just the way the MAGAets want it.
I am two years from living in southwest Virginia. We parachuted into blue Charlotte and not looked back.
We're gettin' our parachutes packed too!
Well, that's not the way we approached and handled rabid dogs in rural Alabama. That's more like we handle a poor stray. One does not capture and dispose of a rabid animal with little fuss. We poked 'em with a shotgun or rifle. Yep though, Mueller was a really big disappointment but how is that a cautionary tale that informs us about Garland's oh so cautious tiptoeing around Trump and his many crimes?
Comparing any other species with this sleazy, arrogant, crooked creep is doing a disservice to animals.
Think back to how many years this creep has been literally abusing women, lying, cheating subcontractors on "his" buildings, having how many 4? 6" bankruptcies, even with casinos! Bragging on what he could get away with around women or girls in the pageants he "oversaw". Way before he got to be such a tv "star"! This kind of underhandedness started when he was a child AND HE GOT AWAY WITH IT ALL - no consequence!
So now, we expect someone to just magically and legally take him down?
It would seem thats a little bit bigger ask - dont you think?
As someone said - several times - he did it all and right out in the open!
So yeah, "someone" should have stopped him - done something - long long ago.
I hope & pray he gets - well, hes NEVER going to get what he deserves - but maybe, maybe, an orange uniform & prison bars - I hope.
I do have to add this - remember the one person who HAS nailed him - money wise at least - is E Gene Carroll! Quite honestly, THAT has to smart.....
Hope ain't a strategy for saving democracy. And no, I don't think it's too big an ask for the judicial system to stop Trump in his tracks. But I do think our judicial system has failed to live up to all the hype we've been taught over the years that no one is above the law.
Maggie ~~"Comparing any other species with this sleazy, arrogant, crooked creep is doing a disservice to animals."
Thank you from those of us who love and have animals !!
Maybe he will turn in the orange jumpsuit for a white veil. On his wedding day with Bubba.
Well said, Maggie.
Well, once burned twice shy. Garland is, by nature, cautious. He knows, first hand, what happens when one is a Democrat dealing with MAGAets. Remember when Pres Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court? He knows what the cauldron feels like and he, I think, decided nothing would be done until every "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed. That takes time.
And perseverance. Lot of perseverance.
Carol-Ann, I am not sure what kind of trap you could use to catch chump--and I can't afford to bait it with the one thing that would interest him.
I'm in Georgia, and we DO poke the rabid dog, with a pump shotgun loaded with #4 shells. Not implying anything here, just talking about dogs to reply to your comment. We have to do it like this in rural GA, to protect people and other precious animals. No one likes those belly injections!
In my neck of western NC, you just pull out your rifle and shoot the rabid beast but since we can’t do that in this case, we have to work within the framework we were handed. The time to build a better trap for this beast isn’t in the middle of the hunt though.
Sadly I agree about Dems.
John - he will anyway.
One other thing, the DOJ has more than just trump on its menu. I just saw this. https://youtu.be/lvqyrxPVwwQ?si=TQ_tztiLIMuoX7ec You might want to check it out.
Sometimes you just gotta walk, chew gum, pat your tummy and whistle all at the same time...and longer if need be.
I think he wanted to keep his powder dry for the important bits that are coming up next week, not mostly scheduling matters.
Thanks Carol-Ann. Someone is paying attention 👏
I agree. The DOJ waited too long to address all these issues.
Never practiced criminal law, so perhaps Joyce can address this, but here’s what I think led to prosecution in the specific Florida District where Judge Cannon is assigned: Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 18: “Unless a statute or these rules permit otherwise, the government must prosecute an offense in a district where the offense was committed.” Also it continues to provide that regard is to be given to convenience of the defendant, witnesses, and so on.
Recall that Jack Smith had 1 grand jury in DC in the investigative phase, but then presented sufficient evidence to a SE Florida Grand Jury to get the indictment. The crimes alleged are based on the withholding of the documents at Mar A Lago rather than the initial action of carrying them off from DC. We don’t really know who packed them and on whose orders in the chaos of Trump’s decamping from the White House in January 2021m so that’s really not the basis of the case. Would we all have preferred Smith bring the case in the DC District Court, avoiding the risk of getting Judge Cannon? Sure, but Rule 18 suggests that the Florida District in question was properly chosen.
I never practiced law period. And never much cared for Holiday Inn Express. But it's painful to see how the judicial system is letting Trump play the court's like a fool. Based on your cite, it seems the case could have just as easily been pursued in D.C., the place where the purloined documents resided. Who packed up the docs and who moved them are beside the point. They were removed from D.C. and wound up in Florida. If Willie Sutton robbed a bank in D.C. and spent the money in Miami, wouldn't the D.C. courts have jurisdiction over where the money was spent? Trump has been afforded more legal leeway than any other political criminal defendant ever witnessed. To me this says that our judicial system is a sham for not being able to stop a dictator in waiting. I hope I'm proven wrong.
The more I read comments in this string, the more I realize I don’t need to read them or share my thoughts as a retired attorney. Folks are here to vent, and so be it. There are other comments strings, some on other Substack posts, where most folks are there to understand and talk about legal concepts. Butting out now….
I wish you wouldn’t butt out because I personally very much appreciate another attorney’s perspective. I retired from the federal court system several years ago (not as an attorney) and truly miss the intellectual stimulation of a good legal argument AND I’ve been waiting for a good legal argument from the defense side of all four cases of Turnip’s and have yet to hear one.
Thanks. Maybe I just shouldn’t respond to folks who’re clearly wanting to vent, an understandable desire nowadays. Joyce is amazing, isn’t she! As an emeritus member of the Bar, I can’t get enough of this either!
I believe that AG Garland is not the right person for the job. He's an excellent judge and the US missed out big-time by not having him on the Supreme Court. However, he has been too timid in pursuing obvious, in-your-face, there-for-all-to-see criminal actions by D J Trump. Period. A less timid, more aggressive person is needed in the job. Hillary Clinton I say.
I agree. If only he were on the SCOTUS and Doug Jones were AG!
It all boils down to Rip van Garland sleeping through several years of the initial investigations………. GGG = Garland’s Gotta Go.
I admire Garland for putting away Tim McVay, but he was not cut out to do the cut throat work required to put Donald John Trump away. And our democratic future will pay the price.
He has been a judge too long, and has forgotten that as AG he is not an independent magistrate, but an advocate for justice. GGG = Garland’s Gotta Go!
Precisely, and many of my legal friends share that observation.
I speak from some, small experience, having served as an Asst DA in Manhattan about 100 years ago. We were taught to be aggressive but fair, assertive but decorous, and never to lose sight of the fact that we were advocates, not judges. I believe Garland lost the vision, like a combat vet gone to “fat” in the offices, not at the front lines.
Did Garland stop at Tim McVay when there was more to be discovered?
Agree on all points made 150%. In spite of “normal judicial procedures,” Cannon is so clearly biased toward giving citizen Trump vastly more deference than his actual status warrants, that she is distorting the judicial process well beyond what is due to any defendant. Time to take the necessary steps to put this case in far more qualified and appropriately unbiased, even handed and depoliticized judicial hands.
I don’t want to agree with you, but I’m finding it harder and harder no to. We are living in a nightmare and it’s in our faces way more than any of us would want. MSM is full of it, it’s how they make money, I see very little of it out in the community, but turn on the TV or look at the internet and his ugly face is everywhere. The only time I ever want to see his face again is when they lead him into his cell and slam the door closed. That’s how I feel and I’ve felt that way for a long time. Can you imagine what it must be like to be on the inside of these prosecutions, it must be like swimming uphill through jello, and then we have judges that want to protect him, rather than be neutral and protect the public. A lot of this is coming to a head and we may lance this boil yet but it’s not near as sure as any of us would like. 🙏
If all the, “ifs, ands and buts were candy and nuts we would all have a merry Christmas.”
Attributed to Granny Friesinger.
Now that the gratuitious Hur hatchet job is out on President Biden has been released I'll say this also about Garland...he bent way too far over backward to appear apolitical, and the Trump appointee Garland appointed as special council stabs the guy in the back that elevated him to the AG position. To me this demonstrates again that Democrats don't have the stomach to fight the likes of Donald John Trump and his cult followers.
It’s easy to judge but not as easy to know all the facts.
I gave up on the Mar-a-Lago case long ago when it became apparent to me that Judge Cannon was in the pocket of Trump and his lawyers. Unless Smith is willing or able to challenge her right to stay on the case, anything Smith does is just an attempt to limit the damage.
What Trump did was so clearly illegal, that it pains me to see him get away with it!
To me this was the case that was a no brainer.
Easy peasy.
HA!
Felt the same. So frustrated and dejected these days.
We watched on video as boxes were loaded from the White House before Joe Biden.
My IQ is about 100. If I knew something was wrong!
I remember seeing that too. It looked like a lot of boxes to me.
So obvious we do not need a trial and certainly should not wait so long.
Having worked for a circuit judge, I truly feel embarrassed at the overwhelming appalling behavior of Cannon, Thomas, Alito, et al. What happened to avoiding the appearance of impropriety? Upholding the integrity of the Judiciary? Disposing of matters promptly, efficiently, and fairly?
The Heritage Foundation, Donald John Trump, all the other radical right wing white christian nationalists, along with assorted dixiecrats turned republicans is what happend. The south is rising from the primoridal ooze, and it ain't purty.
I'm in a conservative part of California and can attest that the South is by no means the only problem. It's thanks to seriously misinformed and, frankly, mean-spirited people THROUGHOUT the land that we get Houses of Representatives such as the one we're currently stuck with. Well, that and misconduct around redistricting in certain states. MAGA-like attitudes shouldn't really account for more than 20% of a population in a reasonably functioning democracy. We are well beyond that, with no foreseeable path back to normalcy.
Are you in Orange County?
A part of Riverside County that's close to OC.
I thought you might be. My condolences…
Well, I guess they have a point about some things, like lax prosecution for shoplifting that leads to organized grabs of large amounts of lower-cost merchandise valued in the thousands of dollars and a sense of impunity among the thieves. They also complain about corruption, which is great, but they don't seem to understand that so many people around Trump and appointed by Trump were extremely corrupt, not to mention Trump himself!
Cannon I think will be removed at some point. Thomas and Alito are beyond imagining.
To say nothing about the 5th circuit. Yikes!
Good questions!
Joyce’s legal mind is obviously much superior to mine. If she says that in essence Cannon is inching up to the line where recusal is warranted but isn’t there yet, so be it.
However, as an ordinary person, I am well past impatience with Cannon and her obvious to me bias in favor of trump. She is obviously ignoring the people’s right to a speedy trial.
Enough is enough!
Another scary thought! Cannon will be a major part of selecting the jury, if this case ever goes to the Court. OMG!
I think Jack is smart to keep his powder dry for the big issues, not minor and/or scheduling issues.
I agree that he shouldn’t go to the 11th Circuit for frivolous, small things. However Cannon is clearly putting her finger on the scale. Knowing TFG’s pattern of “outing” people in order to intimidate them, unredacting names of people in documents is irresponsible by her.
Cannon is in the “heaven of importance.” Her biggest claim to frame and history books?
Totally agree.
Well yes, that's because she's a torch-wielding anarchist operating in a democracy. With Alina Habba getting chucked under a bus recently, Aileen can go back to scribbling "Mrs. Aileen Trump" on all her legal pads in between cases. She's openly doing everything she can for Dear Leader and she has no business on a bench.
Adjudicating parking tickets in the Everglades.
That's over the top cynical even for me...but I do agree!
Cannon is a loose cannon.
Did she not hear or read about E. Jean Carrol’s case where jurists were given numbers and asked not to even use their real names among each other. Even Nikki Haley has asked for Secret Service’s protection. Trump will put everything on his social media and have his minions do the dirty work of harassing everyone.
Trump wants discovery so he can blast names. Before he said there was too much material and they would need extra time. At least she redacted National Security documents, but not the FBI code name. So we will have to wait until next Monday or Tuesday. In my opinion trying to have Cannon recused and letting another Judge take over would be worth the wait.
I so agree with this. At this point Crazy Cannon has delayed it so long, delaying it further by getting a new judge would be worth seeing her publicly humiliated.
Thank you, Joyce, you are a treasure to us all.
One of the things that has bothered me since I first became a citizen, is voting for judges and sheriffs. You are an exemplary lawyer, you have and share knowledge of the law and prosecution and defense. Your husband is a judge. While I love and respect the law and have considerable knowledge of the Constitution, I do not feel that I, and most voters have the requisite knowledge to select anyone to the judiciary. Same thing goes for law enforcement.
It is my contention that these positions should be in the hands of Civil Service, where persons of expertise could write the necessary requirements to fulfill the duties, not just adequately but definitively.
I think this should apply to Supreme Court Justices as well. Granted the majority of legislators have been attorneys in private life, but they are also partisan, and some are doctors, business people, military, etc.
Aileen Cannon is obviously unqualified to judgeship; as are Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, Amy Coney Barrett. And trump isn't even qualified to be dogcatcher, let alone President; still he had the right toappoint three 'loyalists' to the Supreme Court.
The Constitution Article 3 is, in my opinion, the most opaquely written of all the Articles. We need some changes.
It is very interesting to study the legal and judicial systems of other countries. And their constitutions. There are all kinds of interesting things to discover. Sadly, the American constitution is too old. Constitutions drafted more recently address, sometimes pre-emptively, some of the problems one can anticipate in a modern society.
Hmm. Maybe the constitution needs another amendment or two.
Seems like there are a number quirks and sinkholes in our constitution.
Be careful what you wish for. Some folks on the right have been calling for a Constitutional Convention, and we sure won’t like what they propose. They also control the majority of state legislators, and no Amendment can be ratified without approval by enough state legislators. Here’s what it takes: “An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.” Think we have that behind what we’d like to see done?
Unlike a single amendment that arises from and receives 2/3 votes in both houses of Congress, if they succeed in obtaining enough legislatures to support a Constitutional Convention, they won't be limited to a single issue that may have been their public reason for the need of amending the Constitution. We can expect, in the latter case, efforts to rewrite much if not most of the U.S. Constitution.
In my view, the only way to secure a sane balance of rights, responsibilities and economic protections for progressives, liberals and centrists in the foreseeable future is to divide the country into constitutional zones with differing rights. Conservative states would only sign on they could be exempt from such sanity. There'd have to a be a mechanism by which states could switch zones every 12 years or so, by popular vote. There would also be charities and subsidies that help people relocate on some kind of reciprocal basis. And experts on transitional law would be needed to help devise and apply rules about transitioning to a different set of constitutional rules. I doubt all this would happen. At least states are able, for now, to change their state constitutions in somewhat effective ways in response to right-wing extremist measures.
We need lots of votes for blue Fay. Enough to bury the gerrymander.
Absolutely agree Frankom. This is the time we have to bury MAGA so deep in votes they never survive
When I read this,I think about all the people in the past several decades,that have been compelled to take tfg to court, because of money he legit owed them and at the last minute decided he didn't.If one goes back and digs up the newspaper and or magazine articles,the patterns are clear.He would delay and postpone the hearings,until these people were beaten down,and likely broke,spending money they didn't have,to get what they were owed.Eventually he would wear them down to accept a fraction of a settlement,or else file for bankruptcy,and leave these people holding the(very empty)bag,and ruin.And he would traipse off,Scot free.In my view,he's trying this now,but he can't hide his tracks like before.
I am happy there are now folks like Joyce Vance,and others,who are helping keep tfg held to account,and frustrating his efforts to worm his way out of his responsibility for his wrongdoings.
I do wonder,too, especially now,if he didn't at one time have judges and or other court officials,in his back pocket,who allowed his shenanigans to go on unabated.It shouldn't surprise anyone he would stoop to any level to get his way.
Of course the scales are being tipped.He is very accustomed to having the means to do this.Judge Cannon should be removed,and another judge who can't be bought,bribed or threatened,to oversee this case.Someone neutral and disinterested in giving him nothing but enough rope to hang himself with.
If anyone else in this country tried stupid crap like this,they would be all but drawn and quartered for crimes this serious.And if anyone is entitled to and should receive this kind of treatment,it's Trump.Make him pay for his crimes,and actions.
There is a passage in the Bible,To whom much is given,Much is required.This should especially apply to the highest office in our country.If anyone should be made an example,it would be a former POTUS.To let him get away with this opens a door to anyone thinking it's okay to break the law, especially the kinds that would allow our secrets to be bought and sold openly.
Send what you said to each SC Justice and get it into opinion sections of major newspapers !
What is the necessity for publicly disclosing this potentially classified info? I just don’t understand the relevance as opposed to the potential harm? Please explain? Many thanks
Basically she's doing everything she can to force the government to declassify as much of their info as possible while refusing to protect the safety of potential witnesses or jurors. Pretty much the opposite of what any sane person would want.
It appears to be venal but declassified info and identification goes way too far and doesn’t necessarily help tfg? Her trial has always been scheduled way after the election so that’s not the motive it would seem? Just seems very dangerous to various government agencies and personal, doesn’t it? Anybody? Motivation?
Making the process difficult and dangerous sends a message that can be "useful" if he is re-elected. It could make prosecutors and others hesitate to undertake new proceedings against Trump. That's one thing that comes to mind for me.
Ira, She was hand-picked to be an ultra-right corruptible guy minion. And she was approved without being questioned at her confirmation hearing. She’s doing what she was put into her position to do.
She seems to be tone deaf to the safety of witnesses and jurors. That is unsettling.
That alone should disqualify her.
Her rulings do several things that help TFG. Strike fear into witnesses as they are exposed. Flood the zone with as much classified documents to confuse and deflect from the crime if stealing the docs and lying about taking them. Use all that extra info to contaminate the jury pool. Judge Cannon is corrupt and way in over her head. She thinks TFG can win the presidency. And then he owes her a promotion, AG, or Supreme Court. I don’t think it ends the way she thinks it will.
Does it weaken the status of these being classified documents?
Yes, it also creates opportunities for further delays of the trial as now the prosecutor has to also work to protect the classified docs, people, techniques that gather the confidential info, arguments will be made to redact and each.
Ira, it's basically one more way to delay delay delay actually trying the case.
What worries me about
judge Cannon may just be low gossip concerning her husbands mob connections . But when i traveled for a food company years ago Staten Island, Cony Island, and a few otherNY spots were in my territory! In those days it was common gossip( especially Cony Island) that Trump, who was known to be mob connected, was deeply involved with the Russian mob. Even a hint of this possible connection worries me as much as the fact she may just as easily be inexperienced and making bad decisions in his favor!
I have to think that Smith is much smarter than Cannon.
No quick fix? We need a guilty verdict, no matter how long it takes. The issue is too important. He may be sitting in jail sooner than Cannon, or her replacement, tries this case. But it needs to be tried fairly and without help from the judge swaying it his direction.
Judge Cannon is determined to drag the documents case out as long as possible. I contend that she's doing this more for the Federalist Society than for Trump. (Career considerations i.e. Supreme Court)
Given that a U.S. District Court judgeship is a lifelong appointment, have any U.S. District Court judges ever been removed by Congress? Are we fated to have these Trump judicial appointments ripple through coming years?
McConnell pushed through this candidate. He refused to review or accept any ABA ratings/review. 🤬
Yes and yes. Removal of Article III judges is by impeachment if I recall correctly and rarely used.
Trump and the senate republicans rammed through a number of judicial appointments that were very conservative and a number of whom were quite young. Look at Brett, Cavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, young and right wing. Then extrapolate that across numerous district court and circuit Court of Appeals appointments.
Mitch McConnell and the Senate republicans did a tremendous amount of damage to the concept of an independent article 3 Judiciary. In addition, then we have the fiascoand hypocrisy of McConnell in the timing of both the Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett appointments. Both of those should have been made by sitting democratic presidents in a timely manner.
Great question!
She needs to be gone from this trial. She is so frustrating and unfair.