Aileen Cannon's moment of truth Judge Cannon's critics have long-alleged bias in her handling of Donald Trump's classified documents case. the committee's top Democrat, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, said included non-public materials covered by Cannon’s earlier secrecy rulings in the classified-documents case. DOJ disputes that, saying neither Cannon’s order nor grand-jury secrecy rules were violated. The committee said that release included a January 13, 2023, memo that suggested Trump took documents that"pertained to business interests," and that Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff and the then-chief executive officer of Trump's super PAC,"witnessed President Trump showing off a classified map to passengers on his private plane." Trump has denied any wrongdoing. "In short, the position of the DOJ appears to be that it can violate Judge Cannon’s order and grand jury secrecy whenever it sees an opportunity to smear Jack Smith," ranking member Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, wrote to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi last Wednesday. In other words, Raskin alleges someone at the DOJ may have violated a court order, a possible contempt issue. When asked about that possibility, a committee spokesperson previously told"it is time for to reconsider her order and put an end to these selective leaks by lifting her gag order."said Cannon’s order"was not violated, and none of the documents produced by DOJ violated 6e as none of them disclosed matters occurring before a grand jury." 6e refers to the barred release of grand jury materials. Cannon could choose to take up the issue if she concludes her order may have been violated, although the procedural path for any contempt inquiry is far from straightforward.The case against Trump was dropped when he won a second White House term, but the lack of a prosecution team does not prevent contempt inquiries. Judges can initiate contempt-related inquiries on their own, as Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg did using the Alien Enemies Act litigation last April. But that path has been heavily contested on appeal, making it an imperfect comparison rather than a straightforward model for Cannon.without individual hearings, and issued a temporary restraining order on March 15, 2025, prohibiting their removals."probable cause that Defendants’ actions constitute contempt" and launched an inquiry, despite no motion seeking it, to"identify the contemnor and refer the matter for prosecution."Will Cannon open a contempt inquiry to establish what was leaked and if so, by whom? Her critics will be watching closely., ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not"both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you., you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations.