A US federal court has dismissed all charges against former President Donald Trump in a case alleging the mishandling of classified documents. The dismissal stems from a judgment that Senior Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional (court document).
US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith as special counsel in November 2022 to oversee investigations into Trump. This decision aimed to mitigate conflict-of-interest issues within the Department of Justice under current President Joe Biden’s administration (appointment order). Smith’s remit included investigating potential interference in the 2020 presidential election and the alleged mishandling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump contested Smith’s appointment, arguing it violated the Appointments Clause of the US Constitution, which necessitates Senate approval for principal officers, while allowing more flexibility for inferior officers (Appointments Clause).
Judge Aileen Cannon accepted that Smith could be considered an inferior officer but found the appointment nonetheless violated the Appointments Clause. She stated that no statute grants the Attorney General the authority to appoint an officer with the prosecutorial power held by Smith. This necessitates either a presidential nomination with Senate confirmation or new legislation passed by Congress.
This ruling marks another legal victory for Trump, who argued that all cases against him are politically motivated in a social media statement on Truth Social (Trump’s statement). The decision follows a Supreme Court ruling granting Trump broad prosecutorial immunity for actions within the outer limits of his presidential duties (Supreme Court decision).
For more details, read the full article on JURIST.