BREAKING: MAGA Hack Judge Aileen Cannon Gets Smacked Down by Federal Court – Ordered to Release Remaining Parts of Jack Smith’s Trump Classified Documents Probe

In a stinging rebuke to one of President Donald Trump’s most loyal judicial allies, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to cease her “undue delay” and rule within 60 days on motions to unseal Volume II of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s exhaustive report on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The appellate panel’s Friday ruling – coming just days before the 2024 election’s echoes still reverberate and Trump’s second inauguration looms – represents a rare, direct slap at Cannon, the Trump-appointed Florida judge whose controversial decisions have long shielded the president-elect from accountability in the now-defunct federal probe.

Cannon, elevated to the bench in 2020 amid Trump’s flurry of last-minute appointments, has been a lightning rod for criticism from legal scholars and Democrats alike. Her July 2024 dismissal of the classified documents indictment against Trump – on the grounds that Smith’s appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause – was hailed by MAGA faithful as a triumph of “originalism” but lambasted by experts as a partisan gift wrapped in judicial robes. That ruling, which spared Trump trial before Election Day, effectively buried the case as DOJ policy barred prosecuting a sitting president. Yet the probe’s remnants – including charges against Trump’s co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira – linger in appeals, and Smith’s final report promises a trove of unreleased details on the 37 felony counts Trump once faced.

The appeals court’s intervention stems from a petition by the nonpartisan Knight First Amendment Institute and American Oversight, watchdog groups demanding transparency in a saga that exposed Trump’s cavalier storage of top-secret materials – from nuclear secrets to battle plans – in unsecured ballroom boxes and bathroom closets at his Palm Beach estate. For nearly a year, Cannon had stonewalled their pleas to lift a gag order she imposed in January 2025, indefinitely barring the Justice Department from releasing Volume II, the classified documents section of Smith’s two-part magnum opus. Volume I, detailing Trump’s January 6 election subversion efforts, was greenlit for public release in January after Cannon reluctantly relented amid similar appellate pressure. But her blockade on the documents volume – which Cannon herself described as brimming with “information [that] has not been made public in court filings” – fueled accusations of a cover-up tailored to Trump’s timeline.

“This is a blatant attempt to bury evidence of presidential misconduct under the weight of judicial inertia,” thundered Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight Institute, in a statement hailing the ruling. “There is no legitimate reason for the report’s continued suppression, and it should be posted on the court’s public docket without further delay.” Chioma Chukwu, director of American Oversight, echoed the sentiment: “By keeping this order in place, Judge Cannon is undermining both accountability and the rule of law.” Their mandamus petition, filed in late September after Cannon ignored multiple nudges, invoked the court’s prior smackdowns of her – including reversals of her bid to appoint a special master in 2022 and her initial dismissal of Smith’s appointment.

The classified documents scandal, unsealed in blistering fashion by Smith’s June 2023 indictment, painted a damning portrait of executive recklessness. Prosecutors alleged Trump not only hoarded over 100 classified files – including photos of U.S. subs in Iranian waters and Iran’s missile capabilities – but orchestrated a cover-up: directing aides to lie to the FBI, delete security footage, and spirit boxes away during a subpoena. Nauta, Trump’s valet, and de Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago maintenance chief, face obstruction charges that Cannon’s ruling didn’t touch; their appeals grind on, with Trump’s incoming DOJ likely to drop them via pardon or dismissal. Yet Volume II, per Cannon’s own filings, holds “new revelations” – witness interviews, forensic timelines, and unredacted grand jury transcripts – that could scorch Trump’s narrative of a “hoax” raid.

MAGA’s defenses have crumbled under scrutiny. Trump, in a January 2025 presser, called Smith’s probe a “fake investigation” and lavished praise on Cannon as “brilliant and tough.” Allies like Sen. Marsha Blackburn have pivoted to “spying scandals” involving Verizon and Obama-appointed judges, but X erupts with schadenfreude: “Trump bootlicker Judge Aileen Cannon” trends as users like @OccupyDemocrats declare it “the last thing MAGA wanted.” @brianberlin50 crowed, “She has to release his FULL report, directly. ” while @weareoversight tallied 10 months of Cannon’s foot-dragging. Counterposts from Trump diehards, like @flamethwer, cling to her July dismissal as vindication, but the chorus grows: “History of Jack Smith’s courtroom smackdowns,” as Fox once headlined.

Cannon’s tenure is a case study in controversy. Appointed at 39 – the youngest federal judge in Florida – she drew ethics probes for vacationing with a GOP donor and slow-walking Trump’s case to align with his campaign. Her 2022 special master gambit, overturned by the 11th Circuit as “specious,” delayed FBI access to seized files for months. Legal eagles like Joyce White Vance decry her as “in over her head,” while conservatives fete her as a bulwark against “deep state” overreach. The appeals court’s latest order – mandating a decision by early January, mere days before Trump’s swearing-in – thrusts the issue into his administration’s lap. Will incoming AG Pam Bondi bury it anew, or will public pressure force disclosure?

On the ground, reactions split the nation. In Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago loyalists shrug: “The raid was illegal from jump,” says retiree Frank Rossi, echoing Trump’s line. In D.C., transparency advocates rally: Aisha Rahman, a 28-year-old organizer, tells Grok News, “This isn’t about gotchas – it’s about national security. Trump endangered us all.” X amplifies the divide: #CannonCoverUp surges alongside #ReleaseTheReport, with @terryaube posting popcorn emojis and @LynnNelson58491 cheering the “smackdown.”

As the 60-day clock ticks, this ruling isn’t just procedural – it’s a referendum on judicial independence in Trump’s America. Cannon’s compliance could unearth a powder keg of evidence, vindicating Smith’s probe and humiliating MAGA’s shield-bearer. Defiance? An invitation for further appellate fury, perhaps Supreme Court scrutiny. Either way, the Big Apple’s prodigal son – now its commander-in-chief – faces a document dump that could redefine his legacy before he even unpacks the Oval. The courts, it seems, won’t let Mar-a-Lago’s ghosts stay buried.