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The court where the judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents case resides said on March 21 it could not confirm a report that two of her law clerks quit in recent months.
In his blog Original Jurisdiction, former federal prosecutor turned legal commentator David Lat reported that Judge Aileen Cannon has seen members of her staff prematurely leave their roles at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which legal experts described as a rare and unusual move.
Lat's report, citing multiple anonymous sources, said one of Cannon's law clerks left in October and another left in December. The reasons for the departures are unclear and have not been independently verified by Newsweek. Lat also said Cannon's chambers were currently fully staffed.
Reacting to the report, a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida told Newsweek, "The Court cannot comment on HR-related matters."
Writing in his blog, Lat speculated that the turnover of staff in Cannon's court may be "impeding the progress" of the high-profile case in which Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 federal charges over claims he illegally retained classified documents after he left office, then obstructed the federal attempt to retrieve them.
Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, has faced repeated criticism for her rulings in the case, which is expected to be postponed beyond its May 20 start date.
Lat wrote that it would be "quite notable" if Cannon were to have two of her law clerks leave her office in such a short period of time.
"A federal district judge usually hires only two to three law clerks each year, so for two clerks to quit is quite notable. It's nothing like a few associates quitting a 1,000-lawyer firm," Lat said.
He continued: "It's highly unusual for a clerk to quit on a judge. Because a federal judicial clerkship typically lasts one year and is an extremely valuable credential, most clerks will 'ride it out' instead of quitting, even if they're miserable or have issues with their judge."
"For a law clerk to quit before the year is up often involves an extremely unpleasant situation in chambers," he added.
Other legal experts also discussed how rare it is for a law clerk to leave their role early.
"Judge Cannon who appears to be in Trump's back pocket, has apparently had two law clerks quit according to the always reliable @David Lat," Eric J. Segall, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Clerks never quit. That's all."
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said that, if accurate, the report of Cannon's staff leaving early would be significant.
"It is *very* unusual for a law clerk to leave early," he posted on X.
Writing for MSNBC, Jordan Rubin, a former prosecutor for the New York County district attorney's office in Manhattan, commented on Lat's report, saying it would be "no small thing" for Cannon's law clerks to leave their roles "given the delays that have permeated" Trump's classified documents trial.
"Even if the clerks' departure is not the main reason for how the classified documents case has progressed—or not progressed—it's an issue worth considering as we hopefully get more information," Rubin wrote.
Elsewhere, Lat's blog featured quotes from an unnamed former law clerk for Cannon, who praised the judge's leadership during their time working for her.
"Through her Honor's mentorship and guidance, I developed in a way that I did not know I was capable of," they said. "In my case, the notion of leaving chambers prematurely never crossed my mind during my time with the Judge."
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more