Court ends special master review of Trump's Mar-a-Lago records
A federal appeals court ruled that a judge’s order appointing a special master to review documents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort should be dismissed.
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a judge’s order appointing a special master to review documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort should be dismissed.
The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit lifts earlier restrictions on the Justice Department’s examination of classified documents and other records and allow investigators to proceed with the probe more quickly.
The panel said U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s order in September to appoint an arbiter and prevent the government from using a trove of documents it retrieved with a search warrant from Trump’s resort in Florida on Aug. 8 was incorrect.
"The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant," the panel wrote. "Accordingly, we agree with the government that the district court improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction, and that dismissal of the entire proceeding is required."
Two of the three judges on the panel — Britt Grant and Andrew Brasher — were appointed by Trump. The third, Chief Judge Brill Pryor, was appointed by President George W. Bush.
Rating: 5