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Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the Mar-a-Lago confidential documents case against former President Donald Trump, reprimanded Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team over a legal filing the Justice Department submitted that didn't comply with the court's requirements.
Cannon, a Trump appointee, issued an order on Friday that appeared to be a rejection of a document filed by federal prosecutor Jay Bratt that warned the judge not to be "manipulated" into delaying the trial by Trump.
In the order, Cannon reminded all parties that "Except as authorized by Court order, the substantive content of any such notice (or response) may not exceed 200 words and may not be used as a surreply absent leave of Court." Smith's notice was 23 words over the character limit. Cannon warned that any further non-compliant filings would be "stricken without further notice."
Newsweek reached out to the Justice Department via email for comment.
Cannon's note comes a day after the Justice Department cautioned the judge against delaying Trump's scheduled May 2024 trial, noting that Trump was also planning to delay his March 2024 trial related to the federal election interference case. Smith's team is prosecuting both cases.
Smith's team shared Trump's request to delay the election-related case with Cannon on Thursday, telling the judge that Trump's defense "failed to disclose" that it was pursuing motions to delay the case in Washington, D.C. Trump's team had argued to Cannon that the Florida case should be postponed because it would conflict with the election interference trial.
"Defendant Trump's actions in the hours following the hearing in this case illustrate the point and confirm his overriding interest in delaying both trials at any
cost," Smiths told Cannon, adding that the court should not be "manipulated in this fashion."
Bratt had also told the judge during a Wednesday hearing that, "The court really cannot let and should not let the D.C. trial drive the schedule here."
"We don't know what is going to happen in this case. We don't know what's going to happen in the D.C. case. That trial could disappear," the prosecutor said.
Trump's team is attempting to delay his various trials until after the 2024 election. So far, three of Trump's four criminal trials have been scheduled. The Manhattan case involving the hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels is also set for March 2024.
Cannon, who heard arguments Wednesday, signaled that she would likely give into Trump's request to push the May 20 trial date but has not made a final decision.
"I'm just having a hard time seeing how realistically this work can be accomplished in this compressed period of time, given the realities that we're facing," she said during the hearing, adding that she'd set a new timeline "as soon as possible."
Critics and legal scholars have argued that Cannon has shown favor to Trump, initially raising concerns last year when she granted Trump's request for a special master.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more