'Lacks the temperament': Ex-prosecutor slams Judge Cannon for actions in Trump case

Judge Aileen Cannon lacks the temperament to be a federal judge, at least in a case involving Donald Trump, according to a former prosecutor Saturday.

Cannon oversees the Florida document-handling criminal case brought against the former president by special counsel Jack Smith. Cannon was involved in the pre-indictment phase of the case, and was reversed on appeal for a decision the appellate panel held gave Trump improper deference.

Recently, Smith pointed out what the prosecution felt was an attempt by Trump to manipulate the court into additional delays. Instead of criticizing Trump for not being candid with the court, she targeted Smith's office for purportedly failing to follow rules on word limits.

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Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance took Cannon to task on Saturday.

"A more balanced judge might have advised prosecutors she treated submissions like theirs under the local rule. She could have directed them to comply with it in any future filings, or even to remove the offending number of words in their submission to bring it down under 200. A more balanced judge might even have thanked the prosecution for bringing this new fact to the court’s attention and asked the defense to respond," the ex-prosecutor wrote on her Substack. "This judge did not."

Vance went on to call Cannon's temperament into question.

"The reality is that Judge Cannon lacks the temperament to be a federal judge, at least in a case involving the man who put her on the bench," Vance said. "Perhaps she wants to avoid displeasing people whose support she thinks she may need in the future. Perhaps she would have ruled this way in any event. But it’s clear that, like the earlier rulings that caused the 11th Circuit to tell her to stand down, she is handling this case in a manner that deprives reasonable people of the belief she is a fair and neutral arbiter."

She then added: "Jack Smith may well regret toughing it out instead of seeking to recuse Cannon straight off the bat when he had the opportunity."