Judge Aileen Cannon has once again been accused of violating federal disclosure rules, this time for attending a right-wing judicial seminar without timely filing for the disclosure of her participation and seeking reimbursement for travel expenses. According to a report by *ProPublica*, Cannon attended a banquet organized by George Mason University's conservative law school in 2023, after being assigned to preside over Donald Trump's classified documents case.
The report states that Cannon traveled to Virginia to attend a lecture and dinner with members of the Federalist Society, including the family of the late Antonin Scalia and other conservative judges. Documents reportedly reveal that Cannon submitted several reimbursement requests to the law school, which is named after Scalia.
This banquet had not been publicly disclosed until *ProPublica*’s report, potentially putting Cannon in violation of a 2006 rule that mandates federal judges to disclose their attendance at partisan events within 30 days. The rule also requires the disclosure to be made available on their court's website, something Cannon allegedly failed to do.
Cannon has previously come under scrutiny for her handling of Trump's classified documents case. In July, she dismissed the case, citing the unconstitutional appointment of special counsel Jack Smith. This decision surprised many and fueled accusations of bias due to Cannon’s ties to Trump, as she had been appointed by him in 2020. Critics, particularly Democrats, have called for her recusal from the case, given her political leanings and prior rulings that have appeared favorable to Trump.
This is not the first time Cannon has faced accusations of flouting federal disclosure rules. In May 2024, *NPR* reported that Cannon failed to disclose her attendance at luxury events in Montana in 2021 and 2022, also organized by George Mason University. These events included weeklong trips to a luxury lodge, which were not disclosed on her court’s website as required. Following that report, Angela Noble, Clerk of Court, defended Cannon's omissions, claiming they were due to technical issues and were purely inadvertent.
In response to the latest *ProPublica* report, a clerk for Cannon reiterated that the judge had filed the necessary paperwork but had mistakenly failed to publish the information on her website. "Judges often do not realize they must input the information twice," the clerk reportedly told *ProPublica*, emphasizing that any failure to comply with disclosure rules was unintentional.
These incidents have raised concerns about transparency and accountability in the judiciary, particularly regarding judges' participation in events that could suggest partisan alignment.
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