Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon handed prosecutors in his Mar-a-Lago case a shocking ultimatum on Monday.

The MAGA-friendly federal judge who keeps siding with Donald Trump in his Mar-a-Lago classified records case has forced prosecutors to make a stark choice: allow jurors to see a huge trove of national secrets or let him go.

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon’sultimatum Monday night came as a surprise twist in what could have been a simple order; one merely asking federal prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers for proposed jury instructions at the upcoming trial.

But as she has done repeatedly, Cannon used this otherwise innocuous legal step as yet another way to swing the case wildly in favor of the man who appointed her while he was president.

Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith must now choose whether to allow jurors at the upcoming criminal trial to peruse the many classified records found at the former president’s South Florida mansion or give jurors instructions that would effectively order them to acquit him.

    • MagicShel@programming.dev
      7·
      8 months ago

      Clearance doesn’t mean someone is particularly intelligent. But I agree a jury of clearance holders would probably have pretty strong ideas regarding proper handling of it, so the defense clearly doesn’t want that.

      • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
        3·
        8 months ago

        Clearance doesn’t mean someone is particularly intelligent

        I’m pretty sure it would weed out the bottom of the barrel idiots at least which I’m sure someone would prefer to have on the jury as they’d be easier convinced one way or the other.

      • capital@lemmy.world
        3·
        8 months ago

        Those people could easily imagine themselves in the hot seat and they know damn well how it would go.

        Agree, not good for the defense.