A Ruling Untethered to the Law

Andrew Weissmann: “One of the most dispiriting aspects of the decision yesterday by Federal District Court Judge Aileen Cannon—which granted former President Donald Trump’s request to appoint a special master to review the evidence seized from Mar-a-Lago by the FBI—is that it undermines the work of all the other judges who have tried to adhere to their oath to ‘administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and … faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent’ on the office.”

“Her ruling is untethered to the law and presents a skewed recitation of the facts. Her actions make the question ‘Who appointed the judge?’ a sadly relevant one in evaluating a judicial opinion.”

Daily Beast: “Trump got the judge he wanted in the Mar-a-Lago case: One he appointed. And she just gave him the first decision he wanted.”