'Absurd' decision attacked as Cannon tweaks Trump trial schedule to hear from outsiders

Judge Aileen Cannon Wednesday manipulated the scheduling in former president and convicted felon Donald Trump's classified documents case as she accommodated what critics called a "crazy" decision to allow input from right-wing lawyers, court records show.

The Trump-appointed Florida federal court judge filed a scheduling change to three days of hearings slated to take place in Trump's Espionage Act violations trial later this month.

The schedule for June 21 — when the court will hear arguments challenging special counsel Jack Smith's appointment — includes an "argument from amici."

Changes to the schedule include the indefinite suspension of a three-day evidentiary hearing concerning Trump's motion to compel discovery, Lawfare senior editor Roger Parloff and national security expert Bradley Moss noted Wednesday.

Moss told CNN he found Cannon's decision to allow a third-party group to contribute to the hearing alarming, considering how rarely judges agree to admit outside arguments.

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“The fact these motions are even being entertained with a hearing is itself ridiculous," Moss reportedly said. "That third parties are being allowed to opine at the hearing is absurd."

Cannon Wednesday allowed attorneys Josh Blackman, Gene Schaerr, and Matthew Seligman — constitutional scholars with connections to the right-wing Federalist Society — to participate in the June 21 hearing, court records show.

It's not the first time Cannon has raised concerns about a pro-Trump prejudice in the case involving boxes of classified documents Smith says were improperly stored in Mar-a-Lago's ballroom, bathroom, shower and bedroom, among other places.

Trump was charged in June 2023 — almost exactly a year ago — in Smith's classified documents case, yet he does not have a court date.

Cannon's May decision to indefinitely delay the trial spurred outrage from legal experts who said it played into Trump's hands as he tries to push his criminal prosecutions past the 2024 presidential race he hopes to win.

In comparison, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced he'd filed charges against Trump in his criminal hush money case in April 2023.

Trump has already stood trial and been found guilty on all counts.