The classified documents case against former President Donald Trump has been dismissed by the federal judge overseeing the case.
The ruling dismisses one of the two cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith, who is also overseeing the election interference case against the former president.
Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Smith’s appointment as special counsel overseeing the documents case was unconstitutional.
“The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” she wrote.
Cannon wrote that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional because it “effectively usurps” the authority of Congress.
Trump pleaded not guilty last year to 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information and took steps to thwart the government’s efforts to get the documents back.
Smith was appointed as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November of 2022.
“The Framers gave Congress a pivotal role in the appointment of principal and inferior officers,” Cannon wrote in her lengthy order Monday. “That role cannot be usurped by the Executive Branch or diffused elsewhere–whether in this case or in another case, whether in times of heightened national need or not.”
“Upon careful study of the foundational challenges raised in the Motion, the Court is convinced that Special Counsel’s Smith’s prosecution of this action breaches two structural cornerstones of our constitutional scheme–the role of Congress in the appointment of constitutional officers, and the role of Congress in authorizing expenditures by law,” Cannon added.
Multiple sources tell ABC News that Trump his camp feel the dismissal is an act of “divine intervention,” saying Trump is thrilled.
The sources say those around Trump “hope and expect the same logic will apply to the D.C. case.”
“President Trump is relieved and happy that he can move on,” the sources said.
Trump, writing on his social media platform two days after surviving an assassination attempt, called for the dismissal of all remaining cases against him, saying, “As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal … should be just the first step.”
Judge Cannon noted that her ruling does not apply to other jurisdictions, meaning the order may not apply to the special counsel’s Jan. 6 election interference case against Trump.
A spokesperson for the special counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The order can be appealed, and other district judges and the D.C. Circuit have upheld the constitutionality of special counsels in previous legal challenges.
If overturned on appeal, the order could also give rise to Smith moving for Cannon to be taken off the case, citing her pattern of unusually favorable rulings that have benefited Trump and raised the eyebrows of legal experts across the political spectrum.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A recent legal case involving former President Donald Trump and classified documents has been dismissed by a federal judge. The case, which centered around allegations that Trump mishandled classified information during his time in office, was thrown out on procedural grounds.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of former national security officials who claimed that Trump had violated the law by disclosing classified information to foreign officials and the public. They argued that Trump’s actions had put national security at risk and undermined the integrity of the classification system.
However, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the case, as they could not demonstrate that they had suffered any concrete harm as a result of Trump’s alleged actions. The judge also noted that the issues raised in the case were more appropriate for Congress or the executive branch to address, rather than the courts.
This decision comes as a blow to those who have been critical of Trump’s handling of classified information during his presidency. Trump’s critics have long accused him of being reckless with sensitive national security information, pointing to incidents such as his disclosure of classified intelligence to Russian officials in a meeting at the White House.
Despite the dismissal of this particular case, the issue of how presidents handle classified information remains a contentious one. The classification system is designed to protect sensitive national security information from unauthorized disclosure, and any breaches of this system can have serious consequences for U.S. national security.
It is likely that this will not be the last legal challenge to Trump’s handling of classified information, as his presidency was marked by numerous controversies and scandals related to national security. However, for now, this particular case has been resolved in favor of the former president.
