To the surprise of exactly no one, Judge Aileen Cannon — the Donald Trump-appointee randomly assigned to preside over the former president’s prosecution — immediately became the latest target of the left’s rage.
It is hard not to pity her position. Unless she does every single thing the left wants — even to the extent that it exceeds her constitutional authority — they will smear her like no one in history has ever been smeared before. It will make the heinous treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh seem like a picnic in comparison. (RELATED: REPORT: Trump-Appointed Judge To Initially Oversee Federal Case)
In fact, the left has already ramped up its outrage machine before Cannon has even had a chance to weigh in. Their preemptive strikes aim to intimidate her with just a taste of what they can do — fall in line, or else.
The New York Times predictably ran an article questioning her professional credentials, despite her near-decade of experience as an assistant U.S. Attorney and degree from the prestigious University of Michigan School of Law. The piece jumped through hoops to calculate exactly how many criminal cases she presided over, concluding her “scant experience” called into question “her readiness to handle what is likely to be an extraordinarily complex” case.
If a conservative ever questioned a liberal, female judge like this, it would be universally decried as the height of sexism. Of course, self-proclaimed feminists had nothing to say in defense of Cannon.
Vox went further, questioning not only her capabilities but her integrity. It ran a sneering profile, claiming she will “likely place such a huge thumb on the scales of justice that it will be impossible for Smith to convince a jury to convict Trump no matter how strong his case may be.” Such a piece is setting the foundation to tell the Democratic base that any outcome but the one they demand is illegitimate. (RELATED: ‘Trump Flunkie’: Joy Behar Whines About Federal Judge Overseeing Documents Case)
When Republicans question the legitimacy of court decisions, it is a threat to democracy. But to the left, the legal system is only legitimate when they get their way.
Judge Aileen Cannon isn’t obliged to recuse herself, says fmr. Judge and US Atty Carol Lam, but “the public won’t have confidence whether she acquits or convicts,” says @JoyceWhiteVance. #velshi pic.twitter.com/TmHIGEN6vC
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) June 11, 2023
The Washington Post’s opinion section agreed, demanding that Cannon proactively recuse herself. The Post’s so-called conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin argued that Cannon was not capable of ruling impartially, writing, “[a]ny rulings for Trump would be regarded as evidence of bias; rulings against would be seen as efforts to restore her shattered reputation.”
Would Rubin hold a partisan liberal judge to the same standard? It’s hard to imagine. Since Trump is already guilty in her mind, any left-wing activism from the bench would be warranted. Any “rulings against” Trump would not signal bias, but the fulfillment of a legal and moral duty.
Politico and MSNBC go a step further in their defeatism. The former believes that the trial is pointless, since Cannon has a fail-safe discretion in “Rule 29.” With this rule she could corruptly find that “no reasonable jury could find the former president guilty based on the evidence presented” and unilaterally acquit him. The latter meanwhile holds out no hope Cannon will recuse herself, lamenting that the corrupt system won’t force the case to be re-assigned.
The system is rigged to actually help Trump — imagine that!
Judge Aileen Cannon was appointed by former Pres. Trump and temporarily blocked parts of the DOJ’s investigation into Trump. @LawProfButler discusses how her presence factors into his trail.
“If Trump loses this trail, he gets to appeal. If Jack Smith loses…it’s game over.” pic.twitter.com/Nn6pCgAlS0
— SYMONE (@symonemsnbc) June 10, 2023
In short, to the left, Cannon is nothing more than an unqualified bimbo turned rabid partisan all but certain to subvert the rule of law. This despite the fact she has not yet given any inclination that she would show any undue favor to Trump during this trial. In fact, she has not said anything about the case at all.
To the left, ruling consistently with the letter and spirit of the law — without fear or favor — is not enough. Neutrality is a myth, they tell us — a tool for the powerful (i.e. white conservative men) to insulate their privilege under the status quo. One cannot apply a neutral standard to a man as evil as Trump. Neutrality risks the chance of him prevailing, and we cannot have that.
The left believes that true “equal” justice requires aggressive intolerance of the right, and exuberant support of their own preferences. That is the only way to right the wrongs of history insidiously built into the system. (RELATED: The Left’s War On Masculinity Is Destroying Western Civilization)
These corporate media hit pieces are but a taste of what’s to come. Unless she recuses herself or presides with blatant bias against Trump, the Democrats and their media allies will wage a scorched-Earth campaign against her. They will not stop at her professional career — they will target everyone she loves — her family and her friends. They will comb through her yearbooks, interview her old roommates and boyfriends, and dig into every minute, intimate detail of her past.
All she can do is persist in her duty. America needs willful judges to preside without fear or favor. Of course she should not give Trump any favors that would conflict with her Constitutional oath to uphold the law. But at the same time she must not buckle to the mob.