This decision comes on the heels of her dismissal of a criminal classified documents case against Trump.
According to CNBC, Ryan Routh, the defendant in the assassination attempt case, had requested Judge Cannon's recusal, citing a series of factors that he believed created an appearance of partiality. However, Judge Cannon dismissed these arguments in an order issued in the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach. "None warrants recusal, whether examined individually or together," she wrote. She further clarified, "I have no 'relationship to the alleged victim' in any reasonable sense of this phrase."
Routh, 58, faces a five-count indictment, including charges of attempting to murder the Republican presidential nominee, firearm crimes, and assaulting a U.S. Secret Service agent. He was apprehended on September 15 after allegedly evading a Secret Service agent who fired at him from Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach. The former president was reportedly playing a round on the course at the time. Routh has since pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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Routh's legal team had previously cited an ABC News report in their recusal motion, which suggested that Judge Cannon was on a list of potential nominees for U.S. Attorney General if Trump were to win the upcoming presidential election against Kamala Harris. They also noted that Trump had publicly praised Judge Cannon on multiple occasions and suggested that her recusal would eliminate any public perception of non-random case assignment.
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The defense also highlighted Judge Cannon's rulings that favored Trump, including the dismissal of the classified documents case. They further pointed out that she had attended high school with one of the prosecutors in Routh's case and had been a guest at his wedding nine years ago. "Taken together, these unprecedented facts and circumstances might create an appearance of partiality in the mind of the public," Routh's lawyers argued.
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In her ruling, Judge Cannon dismissed these claims, stating she had "no control" over Trump's comments about her and was not influenced by the potential political implications of her rulings. She also denied having any personal relationship with Trump, stating, "I have never spoken to or met former President Trump except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel."
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Judge Cannon also dismissed the speculation that Trump would promote her to a higher judicial position or to the U.S. Attorney General's Office. "Stripped of such speculation, the Motion fails to cite any objective facts warranting a reasonable inference of partiality or bias under applicable legal principles," she wrote.
Earlier this year, Judge Cannon dismissed a case against Trump, in which he was accused of retaining hundreds of sensitive government records after leaving the White House in January 2021 and obstructing officials' efforts to recover them. She ruled that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith as a prosecutor in the case violated the Constitution's appointments clause. This ruling, which Smith has appealed, was issued two days after a gunman targeted Trump at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania. The shooter was subsequently killed by the Secret Service.
This series of events underscores the complex interplay of politics and the judiciary, and the ongoing challenges faced by those seeking to uphold the rule of law in a politically charged environment.