(LibertySociety.com) – As the legal teams for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and former President Trump ramp up their preparations for a historic court battle, the Florida judge who will be presiding over the case has handed down her first order since charges were brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Judge Aileen Cannon, who is the same U.S. District Court judge that appointed a special master to review the documents the FBI seized when they raided the 45th President’s Mar-a-Lago residence, has now ordered all attorneys for Trump and the aide who was also charged, Walt Nauta, to obtain government security clearances.
The attorneys will likely need security clearances to view classified documents that will be part of the trial, although some documents could potentially be declassified to be publicly used in court. Nauta will not be arraigned until June 27th, 2023, as he had no previous legal representation for the Florida federal court. The former president is still in the process of assembling his legal team that will take on the DOJ in court, as some of the attorneys who represented him have resigned since the charges were brought.
Some Democrats have begun expressing their opinions about Judge Cannon presiding over the case, with Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., suggesting that she recuse herself and Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., stating that he hopes “that she really does her very best to be neutral and a good judge.” Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told ABC News that the actions she takes will determine if she is returning to “regular normal judging or continues to be a Trump advocate in a robe.” Mainstream news outlets have critiqued Judge Cannon for her limited experience with criminal trials, which could be a preface for further scrutiny or calls for recusal if she makes any controversial decisions leading up to the trial. Former President Trump has continuously repeated that he did nothing wrong in the matter and has demanded the DOJ drop the case against him.
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