Trump asks Supreme Court to intervene in Mar-a-Lago documents review
Former President Donald Trump's attorneys on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the case involving classified documents seized on Aug. 8 by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
At Trump's request, Judge Raymond Dearie was appointed as special master in September. In their Tuesday application to the Supreme Court, Trump's lawyers asked that a lower court ruling preventing Dearie from reviewing about 100 documents marked classified be overturned. In that ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit agreed with the Department of Justice, which argued that there wasn't a legal basis for the special master to conduct his own review of the material.
In their application to the Supreme Court, Trump's attorneys said the special master must have an independent review to ensure a "transparent process that provides much-needed oversight."
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.
The application was submitted to Justice Clarence Thomas, who oversees emergency matters from Florida, and he can either refer the appeal to the rest of the court or act on his own. Earlier this year, Thomas was the only justice to vote against allowing the release of presidential documents to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. His wife, Ginni Thomas, is a conservative activist who has falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen and encouraged Republican lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin to submit their own slate of electors who would support Trump.
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.
-
How did Trump win?
Today's Big Question Latino voters led a national shift to the right
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How do presidential transitions work?
The Explainer Donald Trump will take office on Jan. 20 after a two-month process
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Abortion rights measures go 7 for 10
Speed Read Constitutional amendments to protect abortion passed in seven states but failed in three others: Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How did Trump win?
Today's Big Question Latino voters led a national shift to the right
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How do presidential transitions work?
The Explainer Donald Trump will take office on Jan. 20 after a two-month process
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Abortion rights measures go 7 for 10
Speed Read Constitutional amendments to protect abortion passed in seven states but failed in three others: Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'The first order of business is to redouble every effort to preserve American democracy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu fires defense minister, sparking protests
Speed Read Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu have clashed for years. The Israeli prime minister first tried to fire the defense minister in 2023, but backed off following a public outcry.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump wins, GOP flips Senate, House a tossup
Speed Read The Republican candidate flipped back the swing states he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court to resolve Louisiana gerrymander
Speed Read The court will hear a case challenging the second majority-Black district in the state
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
It's not just an act
Opinion Many voters don't take Trump's threats seriously
By William Falk Published