ICYMI: Trump’s Praise of Extreme Loyalist Judge Signals Alarming Blueprint for Future Judicial Appointments

Press Release / March 17, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2025

CONTACT: [email protected]

Trump lauds judge who dismissed his classified documents case: “The absolute model of what a judge should be”

Washington, DC — President Trump’s effusive praise of Judge Aileen Cannon last Friday reveals a disturbing preview of the partisan judiciary he will seek to build with hundreds of potential appointments awaiting. 

During a speech at the Department of Justice—where he also called for prosecuting political opponents—Trump lauded Judge Aileen Cannon, whose extraordinary rulings shielded him from accountability in his classified documents case, celebrating her as “the absolute model of what a judge should be.”

Judge Cannon, described by a Trump adviser as a “Godsend” to his campaign and characterized by Republicans as their “favorite member of the Trump campaign,” represents exactly what Americans should fear in future Trump judicial nominees—judges whose decisions appear to prioritize personal loyalty over judicial independence. 

With 54 current federal bench vacancies, up to 250 potential senior status openings, and MAGA Republicans attempting to pass a bill which will provide Trump with an additional 22 new judgeships to fill, Trump is poised to reshape the federal judiciary with even more extremists and loyalistists devoted to protecting him, rather than everyday people. By the end of his second term, there is a real chance President Trump could have appointed half of all active federal judges. 

See below for coverage of Trump’s praise of Cannon:

The Hill: Trump praises Cannon in Justice Department speech

  • President Trump praised Judge Aileen Cannon during his speech at the Justice Department, calling her “strong” and “brilliant.”
  • “We had an amazing judge in Florida, and her name is Aileen Cannon,” Trump said.
  • “Actually, she was brilliant, she moved quickly. She was the absolute model of what a judge should be, and she was strong and tough,” he added.
  • Trump made the comments in an unusual speech at Justice Department headquarters, a rare appearance from a president as most executives seek to maintain a firewall with the department.
  • Cannon repeatedly ruled in favor of Trump during the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, including ultimately tossing the case after siding with arguments from Trump’s legal team that special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed.
  • It was an unusual decision from Cannon, which went against 50 years of precedent on special counsel authority, including a ruling from the Supreme Court.
  • She also initially delayed the release of the volume of Smith’s report dealing with the Jan. 6 portion of his investigation into Trump.
  • “That’s why I’m so impressed with Judge Cannon in Florida, how strong she was, how she held up,” Trump said later in the speech. 

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