Donald Trump’s favorite judge is suddenly losing law clerks.

Donald Trump’s favorite judge is suddenly losing law clerks.

Judge Aileen Cannon has been moving alarmingly slowly in setting up a trial date for Donald Trump’s classified documents criminal case—but it may not be a bid to help out the man who appointed her.

As of Thursday, the Florida judge had lost at least two law clerks in the last six months, who up and quit on her rather than finish out their one-year terms, according to several sources within Cannon’s legal circuit that spoke with attorney David Lat.

The rarity of multiple clerks leaving their posts can’t be understated, especially considering that judges typically hire just two or three clerks per annum. As Lat notes in his Substack Original Jurisdiction, “a law clerk’s role is substantive, not clerical or administrative.” Clerks are more like a judge’s right and left hands—they help the judiciary conduct research, prepare for trials, and draft opinions. Clerkships are highly competitive, and one serving a federal judge would otherwise be considered résumé gold, so it’s certainly curious that they seem to be fleeing her bench.

  • @[email protected]
    10•3 months ago

    Being a clerk for a federal judge is a plumb assignment for a young lawyer. There’s only a handful of openings. They can’t afford to be choosy about what judge they serve under, and their politics do not necessarily align at all.

    The reason this is so shocking is precisely because at least one of them bailed early for no discernible reasons. One of them decided to raise a kid, but the other one just up and left. If anything, it suggests that even the prestige of the position wasn’t enough to put up with Cannon’s bullshit.

    • @Snapz
      3•3 months ago

      That’s apologist cynical nonsense. cannon was recently appointed by trump and known to not be fit for the position from GO. Human beings have autonomy.

      “Yeah, I knew the factory ground up babies, but you don’t understand… You see I wanted the career advancement towards the top of my field so you just have to go with it”

      Wtf, bud?

      • @[email protected]
        3•3 months ago

        Do you agree with everything your employer does? Because I sure as hell don’t. We all have to compromise to some level.

        • @Snapz
          0•3 months ago

          I wouldn’t apply if my prospective employer was the equivalent of a trump appointment unqualified, unethical “judge” - again not sure you’re getting the fact that she was a known quantity when they applied for the clerkships.

          I wouldn’t apply to that position because of my own morals, but also because of know that it would be poison to my resume - unless I was of course content to work for a series of the same broken assholes for the rest of my career (and in that scenario, I’m also a broken asshole).

          Are you just being a contrarian for the sake of it? because you don’t have an argument here.