>>> DONALD TRUMP MAY HAVE LOST HIS NEW YORK CITY CRIMINAL CASE, BUT DELAYS IN HIS PROSECUTIONS IN FLORIDA AND GEORGIA ARE DEALING HIM A PRETTY WINNING HAND. TODAY IN GEORGIA THE STATE COURT OF APPEALS PUT THE ELECTION CONSPIRACY PROSECUTION AGAINST TRUMP ON HOLD UNTIL AT LEAST OCTOBER, WHEN THE COURT TAKES UP TRUMP'S MOTION TO DISQUALIFY FULTON COUNTY D.A. FANI WILLIS. IN FLORIDA IN TRUMP'S FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HIS HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, JUDGE AILEEN CANNON CONTINUES TO ENTERTAIN A VERY LONG LIST OF ARGUMENTS TO DISMISS THIS CASE ENTIRELY. IN THE NEXT HEARING LATER THIS MONTH, TRUMP'S ATTORNEYS WILL ARGUE THAT JACK SMITH'S APPOINTMENT AS SPECIAL COUNSEL WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. JUDGE CANNON IS NOT ONLY TAKING VALUABLE COURT TIME TEHRI MATTER THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN ADJUDICATED, SHE IS ALSO TAKING A REMARKABLE STEP OF ALLOWING LAWYERS WHO ARE NOT PART OF THE CASE TO COME TO COURT AND JOIN IN ON THE ORAL ARGUMENTS. JOINING ME NOW TO HELP UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE, MY GOOD FRIEND JOYCE VANCE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA AND COHOST OF THE SISTERS IN LAW PODCAST. EARLIER SHE SAID SHE HAD NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE WHAT JUDGE CANNON IS DOING, INVITING EFFECTIVELY GUESSED CONSERVATIVE LAWYERS TO COME TO THE COURT AND SING THEIR SONG. HOW UNUSUAL IS THIS IN YOUR ESTIMATION? >> RIGHT, MARY AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER TODAY AND WE ARE HARD-PRESSED TO THINK OF ANY SITUATION WHERE A TRIAL COURT JUDGE NOT ONLY ENTERTAINED THESE BRIEFS FROM NONPARTIES, BUT THEN PERMITTED THEM TO COME INTO COURT AND ARGUE THEIR CASES. LIKE INVITING RANDOM FOLKS IN OFF THE STREET WHO DON'T HAVE A STAKE IN THE CASE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS. EXTREMELY RARELY YOU WILL SEE THIS WITH A GOVERNMENT ENTITY. PERHAPS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN A CASE BETWEEN PRIVATE LITIGANTS WHERE THE GOVERNMENT HAS A STAKE IN THE ISSUE, BUT THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OFF THE WALL, TO PUT IT POLITELY. THIS IS A JUDGE WHO COMPLAINED SHE CAN'T SET A TRIAL DATE BECAUSE SHE HAS SUCH A BACKLOG OF MOTIONS. HERE SHE IS TAKING A DAY TO HEAR ONE ISSUE IN A MOTION THAT COULD HAVE JUST AS EASILY BEEN DECIDED AFTER SHE READ THE BRIEFS. TRIAL ARGUMENTS ONLY ARE HEARD FOR OUTSTANDING ISSUES. HERE ALL OF THE ISSUES ARE ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED IN THE BRIEFS SUBMITTED BY THE PARTIES. >> DOES IT SUGGEST TO YOU THAT SHE IS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO DISMISS THE CASE? I KNOW IT SEEMS FAR-FETCHED, BUT EVERYTHING SHE HAS DONE SO FAR SEEMS FAR-FETCHED. DO YOU THINK THIS IS HER WAY OUT OF THE CASE? >> I DON'T THINK IT GIVES HER AMMUNITION SHE DOESN'T OTHERWISE HAVE. THERE IS A DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS DECISION THAT SAYS THIS FORM OF APPOINTING A SPECIAL COUNSEL IS CONSTITUTIONAL, END OF STORY. THE COURT OF APPEALS REACHED THE DECISION UNANIMOUSLY. THEY DID NOT STRUGGLE IN THEIR OPINION, BUT IT IS FAIR FOR JUDGE CANNON WHO IS IN A DIFFERENT CIRCUIT TWO HAS NOT DECIDED THAT ISSUE, TO MAKE HER OWN INDEPENDENT DECISION. THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A COUPLE OF DAYS OF HEARINGS THAT INCLUDE THIS SORT OF UNUSUAL AMICUS PROCEEDING TO GET THERE AND HERE IS THE REALITY. IF SHE DISMISSES THE CASE ON THIS BASIS, JACK SMITH WILL GO STRAIGHT TO THE 11th CIRCUIT. I BET HE ALREADY HAS THE NOTICE OF APPEAL ON HIS DESK IN CASE SHE RULES THAT WAY, SO HE CAN JUMP ON IT. I DON'T THINK IT WILL TAKE THE COURT OF APPEALS WHERE HE LONGED TO REVERSE HER IF SHE RULES THAT WAY. >> I WOULD ASSUME HE IS PREPARED GIVEN HER TRACK RECORD. SPEAKING OF THE COURT OF APPEALS, I HAVE TO ASK YOUR OPINION OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GEORGIA. TO SOME DEGREE IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE COURT OF APPEALS WOULD SAY LET'S WORK UP THIS ISSUE AND PUT THE CASE ON HOLD, BUT I WONDER YOUR ASSESSMENT ABOUT HOW IMPERILED FANI WILLIS IS IN TERMS OF PROSECUTING THIS CASE AND TAKING IT TO TRIAL. >> I THINK IT IS HARD TO SAY. JUDGE McAFEE WROTE A DETAILED AND SERIOUS OPINION BASED ON DAYS OF TAKING EVIDENCE. HE MAY WELL BE AFFIRMED ULTIMATELY BY THE COURT OF APPEALS IN GEORGIA AND THE ISSUE AS IT IS IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA IS DELAY. HOW MUCH TIME IT TAKES BEFORE WE GET TO A POINT WHERE THIS CASE CAN MOVE FORWARD, WHETHER IT IS FANI WILLIS AT THE HELM OR SOMEONE ELSE. >> DO YOU HAVE A SENSE, JOYCE, ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANY OF THESE CASES GETTING BACK ON TRACK, WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPEFUL ABOUT? THERE ARE THREE BIG ONES EFFECTIVELY IN VARIOUS STATES OF LIMBO. DO YOU HAVE A LEAD HORSE, IF ANY? >> SO, HOPEFUL IS A TOUGH WORD. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE CASE WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO SEE TRIED IS THE CASE ABOUT JANUARY 6. THE CASE THAT IMPACTS EACH OF OUR RIGHTS AS AMERICANS AND WHETHER OR NOT A FORMER PRESIDENT TRIED TO DENY OUR RIGHT TO CAST A VOTE. THAT CASE COULD GET ON TRACK DEPENDING ON WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DOES AND HOW QUICKLY THEY DO IT. BUT OF COURSE THE FLORIDA CASE, THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA CASE, IS EXTRAORDINARILY SERIOUS. IT INVOLVES HOW A CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY MISHANDLED CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC WAYS. I THINK IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT WE WILL SEE A TRIAL IN THE CASE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT YOU KNOW THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT WE ALL I THINK BY INTO THE TRUMP NARRATIVE THAT THESE CASES WON'T GET TO TRIAL. IT'S TOO LATE, FORGET IT, EVERYTHING IS ABOUT WHAT THE VOTERS DO. THAT IS TRUE IN A SENSE. VOTERS WILL ULTIMATELY MAKE A DECISION, BUT IF TRUMP IS NOT ELECTED THESE CASES WILL GO TO TRIAL SHORTLY AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR AND THAT IS ONE WAY OF BRINGING THIS SITUATION TO A CLOSE AND SEEKING JUSTICE. >> THAT IS THE INTENT OF MY QUESTION.
