Originally published at: Cannon’s Mar-a-Lago Dismissal Plays Hard To Trump And His SCOTUS - TPM – Talking Points Memo
To some legal observers, Judge Aileen Cannon for the Southern District of Florida showed two qualities in deciding to rule that Special Counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutionally appointed and, in doing so, throw out the Mar-a-Lago records prosecution: cynicism and ambition. “This opinion is a bit of an audition to, I don’t know, an audience…
The loosest of all cannons, ever.
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“The existence of special counsels has long been seen as a bulwark of DOJ independence. When criminal investigations touch on the presidency, they’ve allowed federal prosecutors to examine the allegations in a manner that’s theoretically free of interference from the person in charge of the executive branch.”
In other words, it ultimately functions as cover for their planned ACTUAL weaponization of DOJ and their Mango Messiah taking a direct hand in commanding its operations.
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Removal of cannon, an obviously biased judge, will likely depend on the election results. To be clear, INAL.
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If there is any hint that she made her ruling because of personal ambition, or any other demonstrable corrupt intent, she should be charged with corruption.
Ruling repeatedly in a motivated matter, corruptly, is illegal. It should result in prison time.
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Smith could have a difficult time persuading the 11th Circuit to remove Cannon from the case, particularly given that the appeals court has only reversed her once.
And yet:
her ruling tossing the classified records retention case read like an appellate opinion, and not that of a district court judge. Going far beyond the typical role of a judge at her level, Cannon laid new legal ground, contravening decades of decisions across the country, including two at the D.C. Circuit, to the contrary.
What the hell good are judges if they can’t look at this situation and fix it?
No wonder this country is going full-on authoritarian. A whole class of elite clerks has decided it cares neither for process nor substance, and that they don’t know the meaning of the oaths they all took.
A pox on all judges. As useful as a screen door on a submarine.
When King John Roberts legalized bribery for judges, he really knew his audience.
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Could it be that Cannon has over-reached, seizing the opportunity to audition to Trump, while opening a door to having herself overruled and removed from the case, so that it could go to trial before the election?
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There is no way this is going to trial before the election. After the election, Cannon will be replacing Clarence Thomas.
I hope I’m wrong.
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Lifting the Trumpian rock has revealed an astonishing level of moral rot and a host of vermin feeding thereupon. Cynicism is inadequate to the task of coping with the display; it’s beyond puke.
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One huge way past this…
all young people need to vote.
But I’m not hopeful. Several 20-somethings where I work think 'It’s all fixed, so why vote?" Or “It doesn’t matter if I vote, so who cares?”
Both actual quotes.
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Bring back the draft, they may have a different opinion.
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Also: “There’s no difference between them. They all kneel to their corporate overlords.” This drives me crazy. Sure, the Dem party is too corporate, but there is a difference, and that difference makes all the difference in many people’s lives—and apparently in whether we will have a democracy.
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Cannon laid new legal ground, contravening decades of decisions across the country
It seems to me that’s more than enough grounds to remove her from this case. It’s too important for the country – regardless of guilt or innocence.
Let us see the evidence now!
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Another famous quote:
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
(Widely misattributed to Edmond Burke. It is mostly likely just a very good paraphrase of a tortuously worded statement he made to similar effect.)
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Oh, so they think it’s rigged then? 
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There is real opportunity here, if Dems seize it. The differences in the parties in every respect has never been more stark, or in-your-face. Most folks don’t want what the GOP is selling. The Dems should promise a return to decency in contrast to the GOP’s promises of fear, anger, revenge, and corruption.
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The future of the case also depends on President Joe Biden securing re-election in November, a prospect about which many elected Democrats have professed a growing level of skepticism. If Trump wins in November, he’s promised to order the DOJ to drop the federal cases against him, and would likely fire Smith and his team
Reading things like this while Josh Marshall and the greater TPM braintrust keep underscoring that Biden is the only option for the election is causing a real schism in my political psyche.
“We are three months before a train wreck of national proportion, but, hey, nothing to be done.”
No wonder young people and low-turnout voters might sit this one out. If I wasn’t neurotically engaged, I might too.
This is the Black Mirror episode of elections.
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Get money out of politics then. Oh, wait. It’ll never happen, but overturning Citizens United might help. How can that be accomplished, do you think?
The both sides on this is extremely irritating.
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