'Form over substance': Judge Cannon's latest ruling shredded by legal analyst

Judge Aileen Cannon (Creative Commons)

MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang criticized a recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that refused to acknowledge the danger Donald Trump poses to law enforcement.

In a social media post, Phang responded to Cannon's denial of special counsel Jack Smith's motion to modify Trump's bond conditions after he suggested Department of Justice agents were part of a plot to assassinate him.

Instead of granting the motion, Cannon chastised Smith for not showing "courtesy" to Trump's defense team.

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"Any future, non-emergency motion brought in this case -- whether on the topic of release conditions or anything else -- shall not be filed absent meaningful, timely, and professional conferral," Cannon warned. "Failure to comply with these requirements may result in sanctions."

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Phang called the ruling "form over substance."

"Judge Cannon could have just ordered a quick briefing schedule and dealt with the 'lack of meaningful conferral' issue at the hearing," Phang wrote. "But this move by her just underscores how much she enjoys publicly chastising the Government."

"This is an issue of form over substance," she added. "Smith's bond modification motion seeks to address a serious and substantial issue. Cannon's order minimizes the import of the reasons behind the motion."

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