Calls for Trump Documents Case to be Reassigned to a New Judge

Sep 10, 2024

1 min

James Sample

Professor of Constitutional Law James Sample is part of a group seeking to file an amicus brief with the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, criticizing the Judge Aileen Cannon’s handling of the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.



CNN.com reported that Professor Sample is one of two judicial ethics experts to join a retired federal judge and the government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, in this effort to reassign the case to a new judge.


According to the article, an amicus brief, or “friend of the court” brief, is from someone who is not a party to the case and is merely meant to provide information to the court. It is up to the court how much legal weight — if any at all – is given to an amicus brief.


James is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.



Connect with:
James Sample

James Sample

Professor of Law

Professor Sample regularly comments on voting rights and constitutional issues in leading media outlets.

The Supreme Court Voting RightsVoting Rights PolicyConstitutional LawJudicial Elections

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Hofstra University

1 min

Legality, Next Steps for Canadian Tariffs

Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University Professor Julian Ku was quoted in The Globe and Mail article “The best hope for Canada in fighting a trade war with Trump may lie in U.S. courts." “Using IEEPA to impose tariffs has not been done before, so there has never been a court ruling on this question,” said Julian Ku, who studies the interaction of international law and U.S. constitutional law at Hofstra University. Mr. Trump has, however, argued that he is responding to external threats, citing the movement of fentanyl and illegal migrants to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and China. That is likely to prove a potent defense, Prof. Ku said. “The court has also been deferential to the President on national-security matters, and the language of the statute is very broad, so it is far from clear which way the court would come down on this issue,” he said.

1 min

Possible Impact of Dismantling the DOE

Rebecca Natow, associate professor and director of the EdD in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program and the MSEd in Higher Education Leadership & Policy Studies, was interviewed by Newsday for the article: “Trump wants to abolish the federal education department. What could it mean for Long Island schools?” The article explains the role of the Department of Education and what it would mean to local schools if it were dismantled. Dr. Natow said opposition to any action will likely argue that the president needs authority from Congress to eliminate the education department. “I expect we will see lawsuits. That’s going to be their argument, that it’s not the proper function of executive action,” she said.

View all posts