The kingmaking Trump ally behind a cadre of rightwing judges

Aileen Cannon, the judge assigned to the documents case, is under increasing scrutiny - reflecting Leonard Leo's impact on the US judiciary

Donald Trump must have thought all his Christmases had come at once. As federal investigators explored his alleged hoarding of sensitive documents in 2022, Aileen Cannon, a judge nominated by the former president, was assigned the case.

It wasn't just that Trump had appointed Cannon, who has since made rulings which would appear to help his defense. It was that Cannon was from an emerging rightwing cadre of the judiciary - a cabal of conservative judges created by Leonard Leo, the ultimate Republican kingmaker and a close Trump ally.