Legal observers raised questions over a Thursday report that two of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s law clerks quit early in a “wildly unusual” move.
Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge accused of favoring him in her pre-trial rulings in the classified documents case, has had at least two clerks quit on her, multiple sources — including individuals who work at the federal court where she sits, told attorney David Lat.
Cannon and the court did not return Lat’s requests for comment, he wrote in his Original Jurisdiction newsletter.
One clerk was slated to serve for two years but left after one year after having a child, according to the report. Another clerk quit for unclear reasons after serving roughly one year and two months. Cannon’s chambers are fully staffed now after the departures, Lat added.
Legal experts raised questions about the departures.
“If true, that is a significant story. It is *very* unusual for a law clerk to leave early,” tweeted former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti.
“Federal law clerks have crucial roles in the judicial ecosystem. For TWO of Judge Cannon’s law clerks to QUIT in the midst of their clerkships is wildly unusual,” wrote MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang.
“Judge Cannon who appears to be in Trump’s back pocket, has apparently had two law clerks quit according to the always reliable @DavidLat,” tweeted Eric Segall, a law professor at Georgia State University. “Clerks never quit. That’s all.”
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