Cannon faces fresh appellate review of her pro-Trump actions on Jack Smith report [View all]

Source: MS NOW News

Feb. 10, 2026, 2:03 PM EST


Aileen Cannon hasn’t had a great run at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, at least not when it comes to her handling of Donald Trump-related litigation.

The federal appeals court that covers Florida, where the Trump-appointed trial judge sits, has chided her multiple times, most recently calling out the judge’s “undue delay” in ruling on motions seeking the release of former special counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents case report.

Cannon issued another Trump-friendly ruling in response to the circuit court forcing her to finally rule, and now the circuit will have another chance to review her work. Though the appeals court’s past critiques of Cannon’s actions don’t mean it will necessarily reverse her again, the appellate judges will likely be taking a close look.

Their latest opportunity to review the district judge comes from appeals brought by the groups American Oversight and the Knight First Amendment Institute, which are pressing for the report’s release.

Read more: https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/aileen-cannon-trump-jack-smith-documents-review