What’s going on with judge Aileen Cannon?
Why is she NOT helping Trump on this?
The judge overseeing former President Trump’s classified documents caseon Thursday rejected Trump’s bid to dismiss the case based on the Presidential Records Act (PRA).
Why it matters: This is the second time in a matter of weeks that Judge Aileen Cannon has denied one of Trump’s motions to dismiss the case.
The big picture: Trump’s legal team argued the PRA gave Trump the power to designate presidential documents as personal.
- In a court filing earlier this week, Trump’s lawyers wrote the PRA authorized him “to possess a category of documents defined as ‘personal records,’ both during and after his term in office.”
State of play: The PRA requires presidents to return presidential records at the end of their term but allows them to keep personal records, such as diaries or journals, that are not connected to their official duties as president.
- The charges Trump sought to dismiss “make no reference to the Presidential Records Act, nor do they rely on that statute for purposes of stating an offense,” Cannon wrote in a court filing Thursday.
- As such, the PRA “does not provide a pre-trial basis to dismiss,” she added.
Zoom out: Last month, Cannon asked both the prosecution and defense to prepare potential jury instructions that took the PRA into account.
- Special counsel Jack Smith’s team wrote in a court filing Tuesday that Cannon’s request was based on a “fundamentally flawed” legal premise…..