Attorneys for Man Accused of Trump Assassination Attempt Ask Judge to Recuse Herself

Attorneys for Ryan Routh, the man charged with attempting to assassinate former president Donald Trump last month, are asking U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from his case, arguing that she would struggle to be impartial.

In a ten-page motion filed Thursday, Routh’s attorneys point to the fact that Cannon was a Trump appointee and that the former president has spoken favorably about her past rulings. Cannon has overseen several cases related to Trump, including a lawsuit the former president filed seeking special supervision over records the FBI seized from his home in 2022. She also oversaw the criminal case special counsel Jack Smith pursued against Trump last year around Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstruction of justice.