Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Aileen Cannon
2020 - Present
4
Aileen Mercedes Cannon is a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on May 21, 2020, and confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 56-21 on November 12, 2020.[1] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Cannon was an assistant United States attorney, serving in the appellate section's criminal division, in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida from 2013 to 2020.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (2020-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On May 21, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Cannon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She was confirmed by a 56-21 vote of the U.S. Senate on November 12, 2020.[1] Cannon received commission on November 13, 2020.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Aileen Cannon |
| Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 175 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: May 21, 2020
|
| ABA Rating: Substantial majority qualified / Minority well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: July 29, 2020
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: September 17, 2020
|
| Confirmed: November 12, 2020
|
| Vote: 56-21
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Cannon by a vote of 56-21 on November 12, 2020.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Cannon confirmation vote (November 12, 2020) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
12 | 20 | 13 | ||||||
 Republican |
44 | 0 | 9 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 56 | 21 | 23 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Cannon was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.
On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[3]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[4]
It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[5] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Cannon had her hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 29, 2020.[6] The committee voted 16-6 to advance her nomination to the full U.S. Senate on September 17, 2020.[7]
Nomination
On April 29, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Cannon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.[8] The president officially submitted the nomination on May 21, 2020.[1]
Cannon was nominated to replace Judge Kenneth Marra, who assumed senior status on August 1, 2017.
Sen. Rick Scott (R) of Florida supported Cannon's nomination. Scott said in a tweet, "I look forward to supporting her nomination in the Senate & appreciate @senatemajldr’s commitment to acting swiftly on federal judicial noms," referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as @senatemajldr.[9]
The American Bar Association rated Cannon qualified by a substantial majority and well qualified by a minority for the position.[10] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Early life and education
Cannon was born in 1981 in Cali, Colombia. She earned her B.A. from Duke University in 2003, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 2007. During her legal studies, she was inducted into the Order of the Coif. She also served as an articles and associate editor of The University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform from 2006 to 2007.[11]
Professional career
- 2020-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- 2013-2020: Assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida
- 2009-2012: Associate attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
- 2008-2009: Law clerk to Judge Steven Colloton, United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit[11]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2019: Certificate of achievement recognizing achievement in U.S. v. Gibbs, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida
- 2017: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida
- Timothy Evans Award
- "A-Team" Award for "Truly Exceptional Achievement & Merit"
- 2016: "A-Team" Award for "Truly Exceptional Achievement & Merit", U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida[11]
Associations
- Delta Delta Delta fraternity
- Duke University Alumni Association
- The Federalist Society
- The Moorings Yacht & Country Club[11]
Noteworthy events
Presiding over trial of man charged with attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump (R)
On September 15, 2024, while former President Donald Trump (R) was playing golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the Secret Service identified a man hiding in the shrubbery with an AK-style rifle 300 to 500 yards away. A Secret Service agent fired on the man, who fled and was then apprehended by Florida law enforcement.[12][13]
Nobody was injured. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was investigating the incident as an assassination attempt on Trump.[14] The man in custody was identified as Ryan Routh.[13] On September 24, a grand jury in Miami voted to indict Routh on three firearms-related charges, one charge of assaulting a federal officer, and one charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.[15] Routh pleaded not guilty.[16] A trial is scheduled for February 10, 2025, with United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon presiding.[17][18]
Dismissed federal prosecution of Donald Trump
On July 15, 2024, Cannon dismissed the federal criminal charges against former President Donald Trump (R) related to his handling of classified documents after he left office. She granted a motion to dismiss from Trump's legal team, which argued that special counsel Jack Smith's appointment violated the Appointments Clause and the Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution.[19] Appeals of Cannon's ruling are possible.[20] Smith filed a notice of appeal on July 17.[21] To read more about the case, click here.
On June 10, 2023, Cannon was selected to preside over Trump's trial in the Southern District of Florida. Cannon previously heard a case brought by Trump following the Federal Bureau of Investigation's August 2022 seizure of classified documents from Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago.[22]
Cannon did not preside over the arraignment and bond hearing. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman handled that duty.[23]
About the court
| Southern District of Florida |
|---|
| Eleventh Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 18 |
| Judges: 17 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Cecilia Altonaga |
| Active judges: Roy Altman, Cecilia Altonaga, Jacqueline Becerra, Beth Bloom, Aileen Cannon, Melissa Damian, William Dimitrouleas, Darrin P. Gayles, David Leibowitz, Jose E. Martinez, Donald Middlebrooks, Kevin M. Moore, Robin L. Rosenberg, Rodolfo Ruiz, Anuraag Singhal, Rodney Smith, Kathleen M. Williams Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Fort Pierce. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.
The Southern District of Florida has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The district includes the South Florida metropolitan area of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Miami and West Palm Beach. It comprises 15,197 square miles and approximately 6.3 million people. Court offices are in Miami, Florida.[24]
The following counties are in the Southern District of Florida:
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN1919 — Aileen Mercedes Cannon — The Judiciary," accessed May 22, 2020
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Cannon, Aileen Mercedes," accessed November 16, 2020
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Nominations," July 29, 2020
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," September 17, 2020
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," April 29, 2020
- ↑ Twitter, "Rick Scott on April 29, 2020," accessed April 30, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed July 29, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees," accessed July 29, 2020
- ↑ NPR, "Trump was targeted in apparent 'attempted assassination,' the FBI says," September 16, 2024
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Associated Press, "Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says," September 16, 2024
- ↑ FBI, "FBI Statement on Incident in West Palm Beach, Florida," September 15, 2024
- ↑ Justice Department, "Indictment," September 24, 2024
- ↑ CNN, "Man accused of second attempted Trump assassination pleads not guilty," September 30, 2024
- ↑ WPTV, "Trial date for Ryan Routh in Trump assassination attempt moved to February," October 22, 2024
- ↑ Reuters, "November trial set for suspect in Trump assassination attempt," October 1, 2024
- ↑ UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA WEST PALM BEACH DIVISION, "ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT BASED ON APPOINTMENTS CLAUSE VIOLATION," July 15, 2024
- ↑ The New York Times, "Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case Against Trump," July 15, 2024
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Special counsel files notice of appeal in Cannon’s dismissal of Trump case," July 17, 2024
- ↑ The New York Times, "Trump Appointee Will Remain Judge in Documents Case, Clerk Says," June 10, 2023
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Magistrate to preside over Trump’s arraignment, not controversial Judge Aileen Cannon," June 13, 2023
- ↑ United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, "Official Website," accessed September 23, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove | ||
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida
State courts:
Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court
State resources:
Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida
