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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJudge Cannon's Law Clerks have been Quitting on her
https://davidlat.substack.com/p/judge-aileen-cannon-law-clerks-quit-on-herIn addition to the sheer importance of the role played by clerks in the judicial process, here are additional facts underscoring the significance of Judge Aileen Cannon having two (or more) clerks quit on her:
1. A federal district judge usually hires only two to three law clerks each year, so for two clerks to quit is quite notable. Its nothing like a few associates quitting a 1,000-lawyer firm. And Judge Cannon, who took the bench in November 2020, has been a judge for less than four yearsso shes probably had a total of only eight to twelve clerks over her entire tenure.
2. As followers of the clerkship world well know, its highly unusual for a clerk to quit on a judge. Because a federal judicial clerkship typically lasts one year and is an extremely valuable credential, most clerks will ride it out instead of quitting, even if theyre miserable or have issues with their judge. The clerkship lasts only a year; the résumé value lasts for a career. For a law clerk to quit before the year is up often involves an extremely unpleasant situation in chambers.
3. As current and former judges and clerks can tell you, its highly disruptive to the work of a chambers when even one clerk quits, to say nothing of two. Judges in busy districts like the Southern District of Florida have heavy caseloads, but only two to three law clerks to help them handle all that work. To be short-staffed for even a brief period of time can generate a backlog very quickly.
LiberalFighter
(50,950 posts)I guess not.
Baitball Blogger
(46,736 posts)Or, possibly they witnessed something that they didn't feel comfortable with? Or maybe they don't feel comfortable with the loosey goosey way things are developing? Which is a big Florida thing. Professional process is like a magician's hand dance infront of a crowd. No one is supposed to see the card under his palm. But this is Florida, and there are some really sloppy magicians.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)Is one reason for a clerk to quit, especially on a high profile case like this.
I was a different political party than my judge, so we didn't always agree on what we would like the outcome to be. But he never asked me to ignore the law in order to reach the outcome he preferred - unlike a few of the other judges at the court. Had he done that, I would have found a job that asked me to leave early (we had two year terms).
I suspect Cannon is telling her clerks the outcome she wants and having them draft the opinions that way, regardless of the law.
Baitball Blogger
(46,736 posts)Ordering underlings to do improper things is quite common around here. And then they say, Oh, gosh, it's my assistant's fault.
Poor Cannon. She doesn't realize that we have had generations to watch lawyers playing outside the boundaries of impropriety in Florida. What they did with the land laws was just a precursor.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)The clerk may be required to act unethically, and they don't want to risk the career they (generally) just started.
Judges have big enough egos that they won't admit to a clerk drafting their opinions (which pointing the blame at them would require.
One of the benefits of being a clerk is that you are in high demand to assist in cases being tried in front of the judge a case is assigned to. So it is relatively easy to find former clerks for a particular judge (former clerks and/or their firms advertise it). That said, it is not a trivial task to find out who "ghost-wrote" a particular opinion. (Again, making it less likely they will be blamed for it.)
Baitball Blogger
(46,736 posts)Lots to think about here.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)Specifically to get their insight about the judge we were up against. And I've worked behind the scenes in both state appellate courts and a federal district court as a clerk/intern (ghostwriter).
Rebl2
(13,523 posts)they are quitting on her.
Mr.Bill
(24,303 posts)Who wants to spend a career with a resume saying you clerked for her during the Trump trial?
Haggard Celine
(16,846 posts)Quitting a clerkship for a shady judge will be a plus when looking for jobs with many lawyers and and judges.
lastlib
(23,247 posts)"You want to put that on YOUR resume?"
from "The Firm"
Probably not far removed from references from Judge Aileen Cannon.....
EmmaLee E
(170 posts)by Team Trump -
Since a backlog quickly builds up.
Delay is his defense tactic.
lindysalsagal
(20,692 posts)summer_in_TX
(2,739 posts)Clerks never quit," says law professor Eric Segall
By IGOR DERYSH
Managing Editor
PUBLISHED MARCH 21, 2024 1:07PM (EDT)
Legal observers raised questions over a Thursday report that two of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannons 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 Lats 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. Cannons chambers are fully staffed now after the departures, Lat added.
more at the link
lindysalsagal
(20,692 posts)bluestarone
(16,976 posts)Will THIS give Cannon another reason to STALL? That's all she needs is another reason huh?
Kid Berwyn
(14,909 posts)One clerk for spring delay, another clerk for summer.
Perhaps two more clerks will find reason to wreck their resumes for the glory of the fascism.
intheflow
(28,476 posts)There is no indication that that's what happened. More likely they couldn't stomach the fascism they were being forced to collude with.
Kid Berwyn
(14,909 posts)It was a very crude attempt to spray some ridicule on judge I. Lean Bannon.
While the article did not indicate why they quit, I do have my suspicions, too.
intheflow
(28,476 posts)Kid Berwyn
(14,909 posts)It's like their destiny, along with all who support their warmongering greed.
bluestarone
(16,976 posts)Just gotta say i rec this times ONE MILLION!!!
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)That needs a *warning graphic* or *NSFW* notation!
GreenWave
(6,759 posts)Kid Berwyn
(14,909 posts)With a side order of repossessed superyacht.
https://megayachtnews.com/2020/08/lady-may-sees-arrest-of-steve-bannon-onboard/
MorbidButterflyTat
(1,822 posts)And hilarious
jaxexpat
(6,833 posts)to their career's ignoble end. The swimsuit semester is always popular in Miami. Cannon is famous for showing a lot of "cheek".
Kid Berwyn
(14,909 posts)Cannon was once reimbursed for a trip to Montana to attend a conference held by a school with deep conservative ties.
By Sharon Zhang , TRUTHOUT
PublishedAugust 11, 2023
A new report reveals that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the Donald Trump-appointed Florida judge presiding over the case regarding Trumps improper storage of classified documents, once received a luxury trip from a school backed by Leonard Leo, the conservative kingmaker of the judiciary branch.
According to financial documents reviewed by Accountable.US and reported by The Guardian, Cannon was once reimbursed for a six-day trip to a luxury lodge in Montana by George Mason Universitys Antonin Scalia Law School a school that was named after the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after he died in 2016 due to a $30 million donation organized by Leo. The purpose of the trip was for Cannon to attend the Sage Lodge Colloquium, a seminar held at the Sage Lodge resort and spa in 2021.
Unlike in recent scandals involving Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, Cannon reported the gift on her 2021 financial disclosure form. But its unclear why the trip was reimbursed to begin with though its relatively common for judges to have trips for speaking engagements paid for, Cannon isnt listed as a speaker or teacher in the agenda for the gathering.
There isnt evidence that Leo funded the trip directly, and there doesnt seem to be anything unlawful about the exchange. But the trip, and the schools connection to Leo, is a show of Leos influence over the judiciary and connections with a vast network of conservative judges across the country.
The colloquium included multiple conservative seminars. One session, on Woke Law, was taught by an Antonin Scalia Law School professor and Cato Institute senior fellow. The reading assignments for the course included a book entitled Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity And Why This Harms Everybody, which was co-written by far right conspiracy theorist James Lindsay.
CONTINUES...
https://truthout.org/articles/new-report-reveals-link-between-judge-aileen-cannon-and-leonard-leo/
The V.R.W.C. is vast and, when truth be told, naked.
jaxexpat
(6,833 posts)Kid Berwyn
(14,909 posts)jaxexpat
(6,833 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,736 posts)direct her orders from the bench!
KS Toronado
(17,259 posts)He would know how to best use the information gathered.
RANDYWILDMAN
(2,672 posts)not only fun to say, but also TRUE !
Too bad our forefathers misunderstood the damage the senate setup would cause.....she should never have been confirmed
Blue Owl
(50,423 posts)BonnieJW
(2,265 posts)the resume value of this court is worthless.
et tu
(878 posts)SunSeeker
(51,571 posts)But if you want a job with Trumpworld, I'm sure it's a plus.
returnee
(43 posts)but are there violations of professional conduct complaints to be filed? Inquiring minds want to know.
ancianita
(36,080 posts)with the defense team or Trump himself. Or they'll go directly to the 11th Circuit with what they know. Maybe they have times/places/internal communications content evidence that corroborate each other.
Escurumbele
(3,395 posts)This woman is going to create more problems, and I am sure she is being coached by people who know more than she does.
ScratchCat
(1,990 posts)Tells you what her intentions are.
There is no argument to be made that it was ethical for her to accept he case. None.
She could have just recused herself but didn't.
She's been commanded to stop a trial at any and all costs and has agreed.
efhmc
(14,727 posts)Mr.WeRP
(89 posts)It seems like it is worth digging into
617Blue
(1,279 posts)rampartc
(5,410 posts)but that is a side show.
trump will spin this as "total vindcation". "being mean to your favorite president" and all the burly men saying "thank you sir."
we really needed to jump on this with a military tribunal on jan 7
start at the bottom with some random "proud boys?" the bottom of this was in the war room. flynn, bannon, rudy, and in the treason caucus : biggs jordan and the rest.
flynn might not talk if we hold his head under water (remember- they are the lunatics who declared that waterboarding is a valid interrogation technique) but the pillow guy will spill his guts for a few rocks of crack.
Probatim
(2,529 posts)Don't their lawyers prepare the necessary responses for her honor?
Grumpy Old Guy
(3,170 posts)Working for Cannon probably won't look good on the resume long term.
bucolic_frolic
(43,181 posts)Can't think of another reason really.
PlutosHeart
(1,280 posts)if they sensed that anything seemed amiss or even low standard and they do not want their careers ended early.
bucolic_frolic
(43,181 posts)PlutosHeart
(1,280 posts)Think. Again.
(8,187 posts)I'm not joking.
MadameButterfly
(1,062 posts)with more conservative clerks with less conscience. I wish people with some scruples would stick it out. They can expain later. What ifCassidy Hutchinson had quit? We need a record of what's really going on
Think. Again.
(8,187 posts)Warpy
(111,274 posts)and if they are deserting her, you can bet there is a serious problem somewhtere.
My guess is that everything they do is as ignored as the amicus briefs the woman refused to read because they contradicted TFG's view of things.
Cannon really has to go. She's not introspective enough to realize how badly and deeply she's stepped in doodoo.
It's time for saner people to begin the process of sidelining her in preparation for encouraging her to resign.
calimary
(81,316 posts)I'm no legal eagle, so I'm asking in all sincerity here.
What can we do about it? Who do we start lobbying, calling, complaining, writing to, what?
I just can't except that there's nothing we can do about this.
Just can't.
Warpy
(111,274 posts)but when she finally gets enough overturned decisions and forced recusals under her belt, she might decide her time will be beyter spent elsewhere with less heat and more of a paycheck.
TBF
(32,064 posts)for leaving if they want out (these are not dumb kids - clerks for federal courts are normally top students from the highest ranked law schools). It would be very interesting to know what is going on in there. If she is out of her depth in terms of not handling a case of this magnitude previously, it could be fairly chaotic and stressful behind the scenes. Typically, judges don't even have to advertise openings. Every fall students send off their resumes to the courts in hopes of being called by the judges for interviews - this is the way it has been done for decades - with hiring in place months or even more than a year in advance. Top 2nd year law students, for example, will line up federal clerkships to start after their final (3rd) year. At the same time they will also be courted by the large law firms with offers that start after the clerkships.
LetMyPeopleVote
(145,321 posts)Loose Cannon got nominated because she was recommended by the Federalist Society.
Jacson6
(350 posts)The writer doesn't know why the second clerk left. This is more of a gossip about the judge article.
Kaleva
(36,309 posts)Poiuyt
(18,125 posts)kairos12
(12,862 posts)Rec
Joinfortmill
(14,429 posts)BootinUp
(47,165 posts)she throws tantrums or something.
Oopsie Daisy
(2,636 posts)* for the time they worked in her office. Who would want to admit to a future employer that they worked for her?? They could euphemistically say that they pursued "independent study" or "took time off to attend to family matters" and nothing more needs to be said.
prodigitalson
(2,425 posts)moniss
(4,254 posts)appellate court might be alarmed by hearing that a lower court judge is soliciting views on final jury instructions before the pre-trial motions for exclusion of testimony etc. and even jury selection itself. Making such instructions public prior to those events, and the arguments both ways, would make it very possible and indeed likely that jurors could be influenced in their thinking in responding to questions during jury selection.
This "give me the ending before the beginning" approach would also give a judge in the case a "roadmap" of what to exclude in pre-trial motions about evidence/testimony in order to "fit" the ending instructions. It would give that judge a ready "defense" as it were for keeping parts of the prosecutions case out. Goodness me now it seems a bit fishy "I Lean" that you want to shape the end before the beginning. As Gomer would say "Shazam!!"
iluvtennis
(19,863 posts)with incompetent folks.
turbinetree
(24,703 posts)Evolve Dammit
(16,743 posts)limbicnuminousity
(1,402 posts)Tattling on your previous mentor in public rarely goes well for the truth-teller in terms of finding future employment.
Evolve Dammit
(16,743 posts)Kaleva
(36,309 posts)William769
(55,147 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)not a judge.
onenote
(42,714 posts)First, federal district court judges, like Cannon, are authorized to have two clerks. Most are hired for one year terms, although some are hired for two years, often on a staggered schedule so that the judge doesn't have two inexperienced clerks starting at the same time. The hiring process is such that many clerks are given offers up to two years before beginning work and most begin work in August or September. If a clerk resigns, or leaves for any other reason, the vacancy typically is filled quickly.
The New Republic article says that Cannon hires clerks for a one year term, but later says that one clerk left in October "halfway through their two-year term." That departure is attributed to the clerk's pregnancy. No reason is indicated for the second clerk's departure nor does it indicate whether that clerk was a one year or two-year clerk.
In any event, as noted, when a vacancy occurs, it can and will be filled very quickly -- vacancies occurring in October or December would undoubtedly be filled by now and, indeed, the New Republic article expressly states that Cannon currently is fully staffed.
Sympthsical
(9,074 posts)Just scrolling through and seeing update . . . update . . . update . . .
My interest was solely on whether or not the author was going to throw the towel in or keep going with it.
He kept going!
And like no one read any of it. So the story spread all over the place without the vaguest understanding.
So amused.
ffr
(22,670 posts)to slow things down even further. Good or bad for caseloads, slowing the process down would be a win for the Putin's Puppet.