Jack Smith

Judge Aileen Cannon's rulings have baffled and confounded many legal experts over the last year, and at least one retired judge thinks it's time for special counsel Jack Smith to get her booted from the Mar-a-Lago documents case.

In an interview with Politico, retired federal judge Nancy Gertner made the case that Cannon has already done more than enough to disqualify herself from overseeing such an important case.

Republican state lawmaker Laurel Libby stood up on the Maine House floor to support the Second Amendment rights and right of freedom of association of neo-Nazis in the Pine Tree State. Rep. Libby, strongly opposing a bill that would place a ban on paramilitary activity or groups working to cause civil disorder, on Wednesday called the legislation "unconstitutional." 26 states currently have similar laws.

Neo-Nazi groups have been popping up in Maine. The bill Libby spoke against was in response to neo-Nazi events and issues over the past year.

Appearing on MSNBC's "Way Too Early" on Friday morning, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg accused U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon of trying to protect Donald Trump from being tried for obstruction of justice.

Speaking with host Jonathan Lemire, the Florida prosecutor stated the Trump-appointed judge has plunged special counsel Jack Smith into "legal purgatory" with her latest ruling.

Late Thursday, Cannon denied Trump's bid to use the Presidential Records Act (PRA) as cover for hoarding sensitive government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort but still left a door open for the former president's lawyers to bring it up again during the trial — which still does not have a start date.

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According to Aronberg, Cannon is giving Smith little room to turn to the 11th Court of Appeals to intercede on his behalf.

After arguing that "Jack Smith is in a bit of a trick box. He wants to essentially call the judge's manager but the judge has to approve it first, and she hasn't done so yet," he was asked by Lemire what is next up for the special counsel.

"You've said the tone of special counsel Smith's filing shows he's right up against the edge, basically he's fed up with what he's heard from this judge and he might even consider going to the 11th Circuit Court and try to push them to remove Judge Cannon from the case. Do we think there's a possibility that could actually happen?" Lemire prompted.

"Judge Cannon has given Jack Smith reason to do so, but it's a high burden to reach," Aronberg replied. "If he thought he could get her removed he would have done so. He may try to file a motion to prevent Donald Trump from using this PRA defense at trial, and thus it wouldn't appear in the jury instructions. We'll see what happens, but then Judge Cannon has to hear the motion and rule on it and she can do a bunch of things to hurt Jack Smith here. He's in a bit of legal purgatory here. He can't really appeal that order so he's going to have to find other means — maybe the motion to recuse the judge is the option he chooses."

Watch the video below or at this link.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over Donald Trump's classified documents slog of a case, has put special counsel Jack Smith in a tough spot.

Laurence Tribe, while appearing on MSNBC's "The Last Word" with Lawrence O'Donnell, described the predicament Smith is in for as long as Cannon remains on the bench in the case.

On Thursday, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed Donald Trump's claim that the Presidential Records Act protects him from prosecution for taking government documents when he left office in 2021.

The move came after special counsel Jack Smith submitted an emphatic response telling Cannon that her proposed jury instructions — that would direct jurors to consider that classified documents in the case could be considered personal property of Trump under the PRA — were unacceptable.

Judge Aileen Cannon Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump's motion to dismiss his classified documents case based on the Presidential Records Act, according to court records and reports.

Cannon ultimately opposed Trump's legal team's argument that he was allowed to store boxes of official documents at his Palm Beach social club Mar-a-Lago, reported MSNBC host Katie Phang.

Judge Aileen Cannon, an appointee of Donald Trump's who faces accusations of bias, has allowed the submission of a new brief trashing the former president's challenge to special counsel Jack Smith's appointment, court records and reports show.

Law&Crime revealed Thursday that the Florida federal court judge overseeing Trump's classified documents case allowed experts to submit a motion that "positively pummeled the ex-president."