(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Ryan Routh has accused Judge Aileen Cannon of violating his Sixth Amendment and First Amendment rights by sealing two of his recent motions filed in the alleged would-be Trump assassin’s federal criminal proceedings.
According to Routh’s Friday court filing, he recently filed a “motion for public proceedings” and a “motion for appearance by video.” However, Judge Cannon sealed both of those motions, preventing the public from seeing them.
“Mr. Routh submits that the sealing of these records violates his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial and his First Amendment rights for the reasons set forth in the proposed sealed filing,” his lawyers said in their Friday filing.
🚨SECRECY IN THE TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASE: Ryan Routh's defense lawyers have accused Judge Aileen Cannon of violating his 6th and 1st Amendment rights by sealing motions he recently filed.
Routh's lawyers are asking Cannon to reconsider her decision, and to unseal the… pic.twitter.com/3yj4ABZM3b— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) June 13, 2025
The Justice Department opposes Routh’s motion to unseal. Their reasons for opposing Routh’s motion are also sealed.
Routh is set to stand trial in September for allegedly trying to kill Donald Trump at his Florida golf course on Sept. 15, 2024.
Meanwhile, Judge Cannon is also considering a motion from the DOJ to prevent Routh’s proposed defense expert from giving evidence. The proposed defense expert, Michael McClay—a former National Guard pilot and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy who now works for American Airlines—test-fired Routh’s rifle on May 13. When he did so, the rifle was able to fire the first round—but would not feed the subsequent rounds into its chamber, according to McClay’s report.
However, while the rifle may have misfired after its first shot, the DOJ says that’s irrelevant to the charges Routh is facing: attempted assassination, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and assault on a Secret Service agent. The DOJ is seeking to exclude McClay’s analysis from being presented to a jury.
“What possible relevance could McClay’s testimony about his test-fire have other than to suggest improperly that Routh might not have been able to succeed in killing President Trump if he had required a second shot to do so?” the DOJ said in a filing earlier this week.
Routh has yet to publicly respond to this motion. It’s unclear whether his sealed motions have anything to do with this issue.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
