Accused Would-Be Trump Assassin Draws Aileen Cannon as Judge

Senate Judiciary Committee via AP

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon was assigned to oversee the trial of alleged attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh this week – the latest in a string of Trump cases the judge has overseen.

Cannon – who was nominated and appointed by former President Donald Trump to serve as district judge in 2020 – was randomly assigned to the case this week, according to court documents.

Since the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has jurisdiction over Palm Beach, the location of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, Cannon has previously been assigned to oversee several Trump-related cases, including the federal indictment over his retention and handling of government documents.

The Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, where Routh allegedly planned to assassinate the former president, is also within the jurisdiction of Cannon’s district.

The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that Routh had been charged with “attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service Agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.”

Following Routh’s arrest, FBI agents allegedly “found documents that contained a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present.”

In a letter reportedly written by Routh, he declared, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed,” before allegedly urging others to “finish the job.”