Judge Dismisses Trump Classified Docs Case, Says Special Counsel Appointment Unconstitutional
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A federal judge dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, ruling that the special counsel overseeing the Justice Department’s case was appointed unlawfully.
The Details: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case, she wrote, because “Special Counsel [Jack] Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.”
For Context: The legal battle may not be over; some coverage said legal theory used by Cannon “has generally been considered far-fetched,” and a University of Michigan law professor wrote on X that this “may actually be good news for Jack Smith, who can now immediately appeal to 11th Circuit and ask for case to be reassigned to a new judge.” Federal prosecutors previously indicted Trump on 37 charges related to allegations that he illegally kept classified documents after leaving the White House, ignored a subpoena for the documents, and obstructed investigations into the issue.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was prominently featured across the spectrum Monday morning. Some left-rated outlets appeared skeptical of the ruling; The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) used a photo of the documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago and noted connections to “conservative legal groups.” On the other hand, Fox News (Right bias) tied the ruling to the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling on its homepage, despite no direct connection to the documents case. Update 11:01am ET: Added context and media analysis.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Trump’s classified documents case dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-left.png)
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The federal judge overseeing the classified documents charges against former president Donald Trump has dismissed the indictment on the grounds that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed, according to a court filing Monday.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon’s ruling is a remarkable win for Trump, whose lawyers have thrown longshot argument after longshot argument to dismiss the case. Other courts have rejected similar arguments to the one that he made in Florida about the legality of Smith’s appointment.
Even if Cannon is later overruled by a higher court, the decision to dismiss Trump’s indictment...
From the Right
Trump’s Florida case stunningly dismissed after judge finds appointment of special counsel Jack Smith violated the Constitution![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Right AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Right](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-right.png)
In a stunning move, former President Donald Trump’s confidential documents case was tossed out by a federal judge in Florida on Monday.
Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on the grounds that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith to the case violated the Constitution.
Cannon ruled that Congress was required to appoint “constitutional officers” and the legislature was also needed to approve spending for such a prosecution.
“That role cannot be usurped by the executive branch or diffused elsewhere – whether in this...
From the Center
Trump’s classified documents case dismissed over Jack Smith appointment![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-center.png)
![](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/styles/feature_image_300x200/public/AP24174838105458-e1720879249634.jpg?itok=nbYc5ANi)
Judge Aileen Cannon tossed former President Trump’s case over his alleged mishandling of classified information, ruling Monday that special counsel Jack Smith was not lawfully appointed.
The ruling hands a major victory to Trump, marking the first time one of his four criminal cases has been dismissed entirely.
“The Superseding Indictment is dismissed because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” Cannon wrote in a 93-page ruling.
The judge said her determination is “confined to this proceeding.”
The decision comes just days after an attempted assassination...
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