Raymond Dearie appointed special master in Trump's Mar-a-Lago probe

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed Raymond J. Dearie as the special master to oversee the review of thousands of documents and other material FBI agents seized from former President Donald Trump's residence in Florida last month.
Dearie, 78, is a former chief federal judge in New York, and was the Trump legal team's choice to serve as special master. The Justice Department indicated last week it was was fine with Dearie being appointed, but did not believe the special master should be able to look through the sensitive classified documents taken from Mar-a-Lago.
Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, told The Washington Post Dearie is "a very matter-of-fact, down to earth judge with a minimum of pomposity. He will do a credible job and will do it quickly."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In her Thursday decision, Cannon, a Trump appointee, denied the Justice Department's request to keep the classified documents out of the special master review. She also wrote that prosecutors cannot use the seized material in their criminal investigation until the review is finished; the Justice Department had said postponing access to the documents could risk national security. The government is likely to appeal the decision.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Why some people remember dreams and others don't
Under The Radar Age, attitude and weather all play a part in dream recall
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Hotel seal
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
New FBI Director Kash Patel could profit heavily from foreign interests
The Explainer Patel holds more than $1 million in Chinese fashion company Shein
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
ICC under attack: can court continue to function?
Today's Big Question US sanctions 'designed not only to intimidate court officials and staff' but 'also to chill broader cooperation', say rights group
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Birthright citizenship under threat in US
The Explainer Donald Trump wants to scrap the policy he calls a 'magnet for illegal immigration'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suit
Speed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge reopens Trump challenge in secrets case
Speed Read Aileen Cannon continues to delay and complicate the classified documents case
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published