According to the summons sent to the Trump team on Thursday, District Judge Aileen Cannon will be assigned to oversee his case — at least initially.
Judge Cannon is for now scheduled to oversee Trump’s first appearance in Federal District Court in Miami on Tuesday, but it’s not clear whether she would remain assigned to the case.
Cannon, appointed by Trump to the federal bench in the 11th Circuit Court in 2020, appointed a “special master” last year to review the classified materials seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Cannon’s Trump-favorable orders were ultimately dismissed by an 11th Circuit Court of appeals panel, which found she overstepped in exercising her jurisdiction in the probe.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart’s name also appeared on the summons. Reinhart had signed off on the initial search warrant of Mar-a-Lago last year and later ruled to unseal the search affidavit, making him a target of anti-Semitic attacks.
Judges in most federal cases are assigned at random. But the apparent nods to Cannon and Reinhart on the summons for Trump might actually reflect the fact that both have already played roles in the proceedings, experts said.