Mar-a-Lago raid
In a win for Trump, judge agrees to special master request
A federal judge has granted Donald Trump's request for an independent review of the materials seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago resort in what CNN deems "a significant victory for the former president." Trump's lawyers argued a neutral third-party "special master" was required in the case because of distrust in the Justice Department; "at issue," explains The Washington Post, "is whether [Trump] can block prosecutors from making use of documents he says should be protected by some form of legal privilege."
The decision by District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, also halts the Justice Department from continuing its review of the Mar-a-Lago documents "pending completion of the special master's review or further court order," though federal prosecutors will likely appeal the decision, CNN reports.
The Justice Department has argued that the appointment of a special master is "unnecessary" due to already-existing protocols to check for issues of attorney-client privilege. Read both sides of the debate over whether Trump is seeking equal justice or special treatment in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation at The Week.