Aileen Mercedes Cannon

Aileen Mercedes Cannon (born 1981) is a Colombian-born American lawyer and jurist who gained national prominence for dismissing the classified documents case against Donald Trump. Born in Cali, Colombia, she is the daughter of a Cuban exile and grew up in Miami. She graduated from Duke University and earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. After serving as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida, she was appointed to the federal bench by President Trump in November 2020. In July 2024, Cannon dismissed the indictment against Trump for classified document retention, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith had been unconstitutionally appointed.