Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
![Donald Trump is driven from the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse on March 14, 2024 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Trump visited the courthouse for his case in front of District Judge Aileen Cannon regarding his criminal case related to taking classified records when he left the White House in January 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4NzPZkDxbHFz4yydeHg5TB-415-80.jpg)
What happened
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday dismissed the entirety of Special Counsel Jack Smith's classified documents case against Donald Trump. In her 93-page ruling, Cannon, a Trump appointee, argued that Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional.
Who said what
Cannon's decision is a "surprise twist after a year of court proceedings that have been unpredictable — and slow-moving — from the start," The Wall Street Journal said. The Florida judge had previously given Trump "considerable room to make legal arguments challenging the validity of the charges, prompting repeated frustration from prosecutors and criticism from legal experts."
The ruling is a "triumph for Trump, even if it is eventually reversed on appeal," said The Washington Post. "Other courts have rejected arguments similar to the one that Trump's team made in Florida about the legality of Smith’s appointment."
This decision "rolls back nearly 30 years of how special counsels have gotten their jobs," The New York Times said. Despite Cannon's abundant leniency toward the Trump team, it's "fair to say that almost no one expected her to kill the documents case in quite this way at quite this moment."
Trump is now "unlikely to face another trial before Election Day," Axios said, after the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that "presidents have immunity for 'official acts.'"
What next?
Smith is almost certain to appeal Cannon's ruling. The case may "eventually reach the Supreme Court," The Washington Post said.
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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
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