JULY 15, 2024:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against ex-President Donald Trump in Florida has dismissed the prosecution. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday sided with defense lawyers who said the special counsel who filed the charges against Trump was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team had vigorously contested Trump’s efforts to dismiss the case. The Republican former president says other cases against him also should be dismissed. Trump had been accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and obstructing FBI efforts to get them back. The judge’s ruling can be appealed and may be overruled by a higher court.
APRIL 10, 2024:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump has granted a request by prosecutors aimed at protecting the identities of potential government witnesses. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon refused Tuesday (April 9, 2024) to categorically block witness statements from being disclosed, saying there was no basis for such a “sweeping” and “blanket” restriction on their inclusion in pretrial motions. The 24-page order centers on a dispute between special counsel Jack Smith’s team and lawyers for Trump over how much information about witnesses and their statements could be made public ahead of trial.
MARCH 15, 2024:
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a bid by Donald Trump to throw out out his classified documents criminal case, and appeared skeptical during hours of arguments of a separate effort to scuttle the prosecution ahead of trial. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a two-page order Thursday (March 14, 2024) saying that though the Trump team had raised “various arguments warranting serious consideration,” a dismissal of charges was not merited. Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, is presiding over one of the four criminal cases against the 2024 presumptive Republican presidential nominee. This case involves records, some highly classified, he took with him from the White House.
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