“Judge Cannon been ordered to DISQUALIFY herself in Trump's case.”
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No, Judge Aileen Cannon hasn’t been ordered to recuse herself in the Trump documents case
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- Judge Aileen Cannon has faced calls to recuse herself in the federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, but she hasn’t been ordered to do so.
Judge Aileen Cannon has been accused of appearing in a photo wearing a hat supporting former President Donald Trump, getting arrested, and losing her law license.
None of that happened, although misinformation about Cannon, whom Trump appointed and is overseeing the federal classified documents case against him, has persisted online.
One example: An Aug. 22 Facebook post said, "Judge Cannon been Ordered to DISQUALIFY herself in Trump's case, she was spotted in a secret meeting."
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The post included a five-minute video that touched on criticism over rulings Cannon issued that were favorable to Trump, but it offers no evidence to support the claim in the post’s caption.
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Some people, such as Norman L. Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment trial, have called for Cannon to recuse herself from the case.
But we found no evidence that she’s been ordered to do so, or to "disqualify" herself from the case, as the post says.
In July, Cannon set the trial start date for May 20, 2024.
We rate this post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Aug. 22, 2023
PolitiFact, No, Trump documents case judge didn’t lose her law license, Oct. 6, 2022
PolitiFact, No, Aileen Cannon, the judge in Trump documents case, wasn’t arrested, Oct. 6, 2022
PolitiFact, Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge in the documents case, wasn't pictured in a Team Trump hat, June 12, 2023
The New York Times, A Trump-Appointed Judge Who Showed Him Favor Gets the Documents Case, June 9, 2023
CBS News, Timeline: The Justice Department's prosecution of the Trump documents case, updated Aug. 23, 2023
The Washington Post, The Trump Cases: Highlights from last week and what’s coming this week, Aug. 27, 2023
Newsweek, This Could Get Judge Cannon Removed From Trump Case, Glenn Kirschner Warns, Aug. 20, 2023
Slate, Aileen Cannon’s Previous Rulings About Trump Demand Her Recusal, June 12, 2023
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No, Judge Aileen Cannon hasn’t been ordered to recuse herself in the Trump documents case
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