Federal prosecutors say there is no basis for Judge Aileen Cannon to remove herself from a criminal case against the man accused of plotting to kill Donald Trump on a Florida golf course last month, despite defense claims that the public could see her as biased due to her rulings in the former president’s favor in earlier cases.
Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida submitted an unusually terse, two-page filing to Cannon Monday, urging the Trump appointee to turn down the recusal motion brought by defense attorneys for Ryan Routh, who faces charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.
“Routh’s motion does not cite any authority mandating recusal in these circumstances, and does not present either facts or case law requiring recusal on this record in light of the controlling standard. Judges are obligated to recuse only when there are proper grounds to do so,” prosecutors wrote.