Miami, Florida, July 2024 – In a significant legal victory for former President Donald Trump, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the prosecution’s case concerning classified documents on Monday. The decision favored defense lawyers’ arguments that the special counsel who filed the charges was illegally appointed.
The Decision and Its Impact
Judge Cannon’s decision brings a dramatic and abrupt conclusion to one of the most serious legal threats facing the former president. Trump had been charged with numerous felony counts, including the illegal hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing FBI efforts to retrieve them.
The ruling is based on a technical legal challenge, asserting that special counsel Jack Smith was illegally appointed under the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which governs the appointment of certain government positions. The defense argued that Smith’s office was improperly funded by the Justice Department.
Legal Justifications
Judge Cannon, whose handling of the case has been scrutinized since before charges were filed, agreed with the defense in a detailed 93-page order. She stated, “The Framers gave Congress a pivotal role in the appointment of principal and inferior officers. That role cannot be usurped by the Executive Branch or diffused elsewhere — whether in this case or in another case, whether in times of heightened national need or not.”
Smith’s team had contested this argument during hearings last month, maintaining that even if the defense’s argument was correct, the remedy should not be the dismissal of the entire case.
Responses and Reactions
A spokesperson for Smith’s team did not immediately return a request for comment. Similarly, representatives for Trump’s legal team did not immediately provide a statement.
The decision is seen as a considerable setback for the Justice Department and a notable triumph for Trump, who has faced numerous legal battles since leaving office.
