Court rules against Trump’s special master review

A panel of federal appellate judges moved Thursday to end a special master’s review of documents the FBI seized from former President Donald Trump. In August, the agency raided Trump’s Mar-a-Largo estate in Florida as part of a Department of Justice investigation into the handling of presidential documents. Trump asked for a special master to ensure documents were protected if they were subject to attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. The Justice Department pushed back, and the three judges on the panel, two of whom Trump appointed, ruled unanimously to stop the special master’s work.

What was the court’s reasoning? It said Trump had not adequately justified why he needed a special master. The judges also said that by seeking a special master, Trump could drastically expand when someone being investigated by the DOJ can seek outside intervention. The panel overruled U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who appointed the special master, and now Trump has seven days to appeal to the Supreme Court. 

Dig deeper: Read Lynn Vincent’s report in WORLD magazine about whether the Mar-a-Lago search signals a new era of American politics.