Career Timeline of Aileen Cannon: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Aileen Cannon made an impact.
Aileen Mercedes Cannon is a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020. Prior to her judicial appointment, she worked at the law firm Gibson Dunn and served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
4 hours ago : Judge Cannon Blocks Release of Jack Smith's Report on Trump's Classified Documents
Judge Aileen Cannon blocked the release of the second volume of Jack Smith's report regarding Trump's handling of classified documents, sparking controversy and legal debate.
2008: Served as Law Clerk
From 2008 to 2009, Cannon served as a law clerk for Judge Steven Colloton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Iowa.
2009: Joined Gibson Dunn
From 2009 to 2012, Aileen Cannon was an associate at the Washington, D.C., office of the corporate law firm Gibson Dunn.
2011: Defended Former Leader of Thomas Weisel Partners
In 2011, Aileen Cannon defended the former leader of the fixed income desk of Thomas Weisel Partners before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, where the former leader was cleared of fraud.
2012: Left Gibson Dunn
From 2009 to 2012, Aileen Cannon was an associate at the Washington, D.C., office of the corporate law firm Gibson Dunn.
2013: Assistant United States Attorney
From 2013 to 2020, Cannon was an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
2013: Became a Federal Prosecutor
In 2013, Aileen Cannon became a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida.
August 1, 2017: Judge Kenneth Marra assumed senior status
On August 1, 2017, Judge Kenneth Marra assumed senior status, leaving the seat vacant for which Aileen Cannon was later nominated.
2018: Appellate Case Victory
In 2018, Cannon was part of the prosecution that won an appellate case involving Mutual Benefits Corporation's former lawyer Anthony Livoti Jr., reaffirming his 10-year sentence for fraud related to insurance investment.
June 2019: Consideration for District Judge Position
In June 2019, Senator Marco Rubio's office indicated to Aileen Cannon that he was considering her for the United States district judge position, after which she expressed interest and was interviewed.
2019: Appellate Case Victory
In 2019, Cannon was part of the prosecution that won an appellate case involving Scott W. Rothstein, which allowed prosecutors to withdraw support for reducing his 50-year sentence for a Ponzi scheme.
May 21, 2020: Nominated as a United States District Judge
On May 21, 2020, Aileen Cannon was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
July 2020: Senate Confirmation Hearing
During her July 2020 Senate confirmation hearing, Aileen Cannon avoided scrutiny as senators focused on other judicial nominees, but she later received follow-up questions from Democratic senators.
July 29, 2020: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
On July 29, 2020, Aileen Cannon had a hearing before the United States Judiciary Committee.
September 17, 2020: Nomination Reported Out of Committee
On September 17, 2020, Aileen Cannon's nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–6 vote.
November 12, 2020: Senate Invoked Cloture and Confirmed Cannon
On November 12, 2020, the United States Senate invoked cloture on Aileen Cannon's nomination by a 57–21 vote, and later that day, she was confirmed by a 56–21 vote.
November 13, 2020: Received Commission
On November 13, 2020, Aileen Cannon received her commission.
2020: End of time as Assistant United States Attorney
From 2013 to 2020, Cannon was an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
2020: Appointed as U.S. District Judge
In 2020, Aileen Cannon was appointed as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
June 2021: Ordered Settlement in Helms-Burton Act Case
In June 2021, Aileen Cannon ordered Swiss cement company LafargeHolcim to reach a settlement to compensate an American family under the Helms-Burton Act for using the family's property in Cuba, which had been seized by the Cuban government.
April 2022: Sentenced Christopher Tavorris Wilkins
In April 2022, Aileen Cannon added six and a half years of imprisonment to Christopher Tavorris Wilkins' existing 17.5 year sentence for gun charges after he threw a chair and threatened to kill a federal prosecutor in court.
April 2022: Sentenced Paul Vernon Hoeffer
In April 2022, Aileen Cannon sentenced Paul Vernon Hoeffer to only 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release, along with a $2,000 fine, for making death threats against Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Kim Foxx, despite sentencing guidelines recommending 33-41 months.
July 2022: Sentenced Juan Antonio Garcia
In July 2022, Aileen Cannon sentenced Juan Antonio Garcia to 25 years in federal prison, 20 years of supervision, and a $10,000 fine for soliciting sex from a teenage boy.
August 22, 2022: Trump requested to appoint special master
On August 22, 2022, Donald Trump asked the court to appoint a special master to review materials seized during the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.
September 5, 2022: Granted Trump's Request for a Special Master
On September 5, 2022, Aileen Cannon granted Trump's request for a special master to review seized materials and ordered the Justice Department to stop using the seized material in its investigation.
September 21, 2022: Eleventh Circuit stayed portions of Cannon's ruling
On September 21, 2022, the Eleventh Circuit stayed portions of Cannon's ruling, allowing around 100 classified documents to be used in the Justice Department's investigation and rescinding the requirement for the special master to review the classified documents, stating Cannon abused her discretion.
December 2022: Ethics complaints dismissed
In December 2022, ethics complaints against Cannon regarding her handling of the Trump case were dismissed by the Eleventh Circuit's chief judge, William Pryor.
2022: Presided over Trump Case
In 2022, Aileen Cannon presided over the case of Donald J. Trump v. United States of America, pausing the use of seized materials and granting a special master. The Eleventh Circuit reversed her decision, and Cannon later dismissed the lawsuit per the court's orders.
June 12, 2023: Closed Jury Selection to Public
On June 12, 2023, during a federal trial, Aileen Cannon closed the jury selection to the public due to space restrictions, and failed to swear in the jury. Both prosecutors and the defense attorney asked Cannon to open the courtroom.
June 2023: Oversaw Federal Criminal Case Against Trump
In June 2023, Aileen Cannon oversaw a federal criminal case against Trump following his indictment.
June 2023: Cannon assigned to Trump criminal case
In June 2023, Cannon was assigned to oversee the criminal case against former president Donald Trump, prompting calls for her recusal from legal experts.
June 2023: Analysis of Cannon's handling of criminal cases
In June 2023, The New York Times analysed records by Bloomberg Law of Cannon's handling of criminal cases as a federal judge, finding that before Trump's criminal case, she had presided over 224 criminal cases, of which only four criminal cases went to trial, with a cumulative 14 trial days.
June 2023: Cannon rules against Department of Justice
In late June 2023, Cannon ruled against the Department of Justice, denying its request to keep the identities of 84 potential witnesses under seal.
July 2023: Carver case slated for trial
Politico noted that the ongoing Carver case, slated for trial in July 2023, featured many of the kinds of pretrial motions and procedures that the Trump criminal case would be expected to see.
August 2023: Cannon rules in favor of Trump
In August 2023, Cannon ruled in favor of Trump on the issue of potential conflicts of interest regarding co-defendant Walt Nauta's lawyer Stanley Woodward representation of possible witnesses in the case. She rejected the notion that sealed filings were required "to comport with grand jury secrecy", striking two sealed filings by prosecutors from the court record.
September 2023: Delay of pre-trial hearing
In September 2023, after Trump's legal team requested an extension, Cannon delayed a crucial pre-trial hearing on the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) from October 2023 to February 2024.
October 2023: CIPA hearing delayed to February 2024
In September 2023, Cannon delayed a crucial pre-trial hearing on the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) from October 2023 to February 2024.
February 2024: Cannon grants Trump's motion for witness names
In February 2024, Cannon granted Trump's team's motion for the names of witnesses in this case and their testimony to be publicly revealed, prompting the government's prosecutors to ask Cannon to reconsider.
February 2024: CIPA hearing delayed
In September 2023, Cannon delayed a crucial pre-trial hearing on the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) from October 2023 to February 2024.
March 2024: Cannon rules on further scheduling
After Trump's legal team in September 2023 requested an extension to the case, Cannon delayed a crucial pre-trial hearing on the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) from October 2023 to February 2024, while also ruling that she would only ponder on further scheduling in March 2024.
March 2024: Hearing on postponing trial
After the March 2024 hearing on postponing the May 20, 2024 trial, Cannon took until May 7, 2024, to issue an update on the matter.
March 2024: Cannon denies attempt to dismiss case
In March 2024, Cannon denied without prejudice an attempt by Trump to dismiss the case, but indicated that arguments about the Espionage Act could be brought up later.
April 2024: Cannon agrees to censor witnesses' names
In April 2024, Cannon agreed to censor the potential witnesses' names, but not their statements, from the public.
April 2024: Cannon denies another motion to dismiss
In April 2024, Cannon denied another motion by Trump to dismiss the case, stating that "the Presidential Records Act does not provide a pre-trial basis to dismiss".
May 7, 2024: Cannon postpones trial
After the March 2024 hearing on postponing the May 20, 2024 trial, Cannon took until May 7, 2024, to issue an update on the matter, ruling to indefinitely postpone the trial.
May 2024: Cannon grants delay to defense teams
After prosecutors asked for a CIPA hearing in March and the defense teams requested for June, Cannon decided in April that the new hearing date should be in May, but when that date approached, the defense teams again requested delay, so Cannon in May granted the defense teams' earlier request of June CIPA hearings.
May 2024: Cannon denies gag order request
In May 2024, Cannon responded by denying the prosecutors' request for a gag order on Trump pertaining to law enforcement and instead accusing the prosecutors of being "wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy" when discussing the issue with the defense team.
May 20, 2024: Original Trial Date Postponed
After the March 2024 hearing on postponing the May 20, 2024 trial, Cannon took until May 7, 2024, to issue an update on the matter, ruling to indefinitely postpone the trial.
June 20, 2024: Judges urged Cannon to decline case
On June 20, 2024, The New York Times reported that shortly after being assigned the case, two federal judges in South Florida privately urged Cannon to decline the case.
July 15, 2024: Cannon dismisses case against Trump
On July 15, 2024, Cannon dismissed the case against Trump, ruling that "Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution."
July 2024: Dismissed case against Trump
In July 2024, Aileen Cannon dismissed the federal criminal case against Trump, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith's appointment was unconstitutional. The ruling was appealed and then dropped.
July 22, 2024: Scheduled pre-trial activities continue
After the March 2024 hearing on postponing the May 20, 2024 trial, Cannon took until May 7, 2024, to issue an update on the matter. Cannon scheduled pre-trial activities to continue up to July 22, 2024, at the earliest.
2024: Possible Candidate for Attorney General/Supreme Court
According to ABC News, in 2024, Aileen Cannon's name was on a list of possible candidates for United States Attorney General if Donald Trump was victorious in the 2024 presidential election. She is also a possible contender for nomination to the United States Supreme Court.
2024: Courtroom Same as United States v. Trump Trial
In 2024, the courtroom in which Aileen Cannon closed the jury selection to the public is the same one in which the 2024 criminal trial United States v. Trump was set to take place, which prompted concern from one legal scholar about how Cannon would handle space restrictions.
January 7, 2025: Cannon Orders Halt to Release of Smith's Report
On January 7, 2025, Aileen Cannon ordered Jack Smith, his subordinates, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and the Department of Justice to delay the release of Smith's report on Trump's classified documents case until three days after the 11th Circuit ruled on its release.
January 9, 2025: 11th Circuit Declines to Block Smith's Report Release
On January 9, 2025, the 11th Circuit declined to block the release of Jack Smith's report regarding Trump's classified documents case.
January 13, 2025: Cannon Declines to Block Release of Volume I of Smith's Report
On January 13, 2025, Judge Cannon declined to block the release of Volume I of Smith's report, which describes Trump's actions after the 2020 election. Simultaneously, Cannon blocked the release of Volume II of Smith's report and arranged for a hearing on January 17.
February 4, 2026: Sentenced Ryan Wesley Routh to Life Imprisonment
On February 4, 2026, Aileen Cannon sentenced Ryan Wesley Routh to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate Trump.
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