News

In Major Loss For Trump, Appeals Court Rejects Special Master Review Of Mar-A-Lago Documents

A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that documents seized by the FBI from Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago estate don’t need to be reviewed by a special master, in a major legal loss for the former president.

The decision overruled a previous order issued in September by Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee — that determined that an independent third-party judge, called a special master, should review the files before the Department of Justice continue the investigations — which could ultimately slow the process.

IN MEMORIAM 2022: 100 GREAT CELEBRITIES WHO DIED THIS YEAR!

Cannon appointed Raymond Dearie, a senior federal judge in New York, for the job.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

The appeals court ruled that Cannon’s decision was incorrect because it could set a concerning precedent, allowing any target of an investigation to go to court and ask for a special master.

The panel, formed of three judges — two of them nominated by Trump — also emphasized that it’s not permissible to create a rule specifically for former presidents.

“Either approach would be a radical reordering of our caselaw limiting the federal courts’ involvement in criminal investigations. And both would violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations,” the opinion reads.

Trump may appeal the decision to the full Appeals Court or the Supreme Court.

“The panel’s decision today is purely procedural and based only on jurisdiction,” a Trump spokesman said in a statement. “The decision does not address the merits that clearly demonstrate the impropriety of the unprecedented, illegal, and unwarranted raid on Mar-a-Lago.”

Marcello Correa

Recent Posts

After Biden Commutes Sentences Of 1,500 People, GOP Critics Call It A Ploy To Deflect From Pardon Of Son Hunter

Last week, President Joe Biden announced that he would pardon 39 people and commute the prison sentences…

24 hours ago

GOP Rep. Chip Roy Rants Against His Own Party For Backing Debt-Raising Bill, Trump Calls For A Primary Opponent Against Him

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) condemned his fellow Republican lawmakers during a rant on the House floor after…

1 day ago

VIDEO: Rep Mike Waltz Does 44 Pushups After Army’s 31-13 Loss Against Navy in Annual Football Match

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_kYWlyzuiMk Rep. Mike Waltz did 44 pushups to honor a bet after the Army football…

3 days ago

‘President’ Elon Musk Slammed By Democrats After He Tanks Bipartisan Spending Bill To Avert Shutdown

In a series of X posts on Wednesday, the platform's CEO Elon Musk criticized a bipartisan spending…

3 days ago

Biden Doubts His Legacy As He Hands Over Power To The Man He Called ‘A Threat To Democracy’

"You can't love your country only when you win." President Joe Biden has repeated this phrase to…

3 days ago

Top Democrat On House Ethics Committee, Rep. Susan Wild, Misses Meeting After Report On Matt Gaetz Leaks

Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pennsylvania), the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, missed a committee meeting after…

5 days ago