A retired federal judge says Judge Cannon appears to show 'favoritism' toward Trump

Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, continues to make decisions that puzzle many legal observers.

Last month, Cannon delayed the start of the trial indefinitely. She's taken months to make routine procedural decisions.

Trump is charged with taking classified and top-secret material with him to Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House and then taking part in a conspiracy to hide documents from federal investigators.

The Trump's Trials team wanted to know how someone who has served on the federal bench views Cannon’s decisions, so we called retired federal judge Shira Scheindlin. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, she served as a federal judge for over two decades.

NPR reached out to Judge Cannon’s office for a response and received a statement from her court that their judges do not comment on pending cases.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Interview highlights

Scott Detrow: What is the main thing that has stood out to you about how Judge Cannon has handled this case, as you've observed?

Shira Scheindlin: The main thing that stood out to me is how she has constantly caused delay in the case instead of moving it forward. She's done that in, I would say, two ways. One is her inability to rule in an efficient manner. She holds onto motions. She keeps them pending. She can't seem to decide things. Most experienced judges, which of course I considered myself after 27 years, try to know which motions really require further consideration and argument and which, you know, instinctively you could say frankly, one word: denied. And you can rule from the bench.

The second thing that stands out to me is what appears to me to be her