Special counsel asks court to revive classified documents case against Donald Trump

SpecialcounselJackSmithasked a federal appeals court on Monday toreinstate the classified documents case against former U.S. president Donald Trumpafter it wasdismissed by a judge last month.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon threw out the case, one of four prosecutions of Trump, after concluding that Smith's appointment asspecialcounselwas unconstitutional.

Smith's team then appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with prosecutors saying in their appeal brief that Cannon's decision is "at odds with widespread and long-standing appointment practices in the Department of Justice and across the government."

The appeal is the latest development in a prosecution that many legal experts consider a straightforward criminal case but that has beenderailed by delays, months of hearings before Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, and ultimately a dismissal order that brought the proceedings to at least a temporary halt.

It's unclear how long it will take for the appeals court to decide the matter, but even if it overturns Cannon's dismissal and revives the prosecution, there's no chance of a trial before the November presidential election. If elected, Trump could appoint an attorney general who would dismiss the case.

The case includes dozens of felony charges that Trump illegally retained classified documents from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., and obstructed the government's efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty.

Smithwas appointedspecialcounselin November 2022by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump's handling of the documents, as well as his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election results ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

WATCH l Judge says classified documents case against Trump was unconstitutional:

Trumps classified document charges dismissed

2 months ago

Duration 1:59

Former U.S. president Donald Trump scored a major legal victory when a judge dismissed the case against him for allegedly stealing and concealing classified U.S. government documents.

Both investigations resulted in criminal charges, although the election subversion prosecution faces an uncertain futurefollowing a U.S. Supreme Court decision last monththat conferred broad immunity on Trump and narrowed the scope of the case.

Defence lawyers in the classified documents case had argued that Smith's appointment violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause, a motion thatprompted Cannon to hold a multi-day hearing in June.

The judge sided with the defence, saying no specific statute permitted Garland's appointment ofSmithand that Smithhad been unlawfully appointed because he had not been named to the position by the president or confirmed by the Senate.

Smith's team is expected to point out thatspecialcounselappointments have been repeatedly upheld by judges in multiple casesand that an attorney general's ability to name aspecialcounselis well established.