US Federal Judge temporarily blocks special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump cases
World | US Federal Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily halts the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on Donald Trump's cases, pending appeals court decision.
Donald Trump has succeeded in temporarily blocking the release of a report by outgoing special counsel Jack Smith. Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday (Jan 7) issued an order preventing the US Justice Department from releasing the report following Smith's prosecution of the president-elect for his attempts to overturn election results and his withholding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago compound.
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Judge Cannon's order
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that the release of the report should be blocked while the ongoing legal battle plays out. She said that her order “remains in effect until three days after resolution by the Eleventh Circuit of the Emergency Motion, unless the Eleventh Circuit orders otherwise”.
The classified documents case against Trump remains open in the appeals court.
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Judge Cannon, in her order, noted that she makes no determination on when the report is to be released but leaves the entire matter to the appeals court to decide.
Trump's looming inauguration
The legal battle unfolds just weeks before Trump's second-term inauguration, intensifying scrutiny over Smith's investigations. czzzz
The importance of the report
Special counsels are obligated under DOJ regulations to produce reports detailing their findings and decisions.
Smith has announced that he plans to resign before Trump's inauguration on January 20, and in a court filing on Tuesday, he said he was preparing a “two-volume confidential report” for Attorney General Merrick Garland.
(With inputs from agencies)
