Donald Trump scored a major courtroom win Monday after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, permanently blocked the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on the investigation into Trump’s stash of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Cannon granted a request from the president to keep the report under wraps, shielding Trump from scrutiny over an investigation that once looked like it could be a legal minefield.
Smith’s team produced a two-volume report covering two sprawling probes: Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election after losing to Joe Biden, and his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House. Both inquiries resulted in indictments — but those charges were abandoned after Trump’s November 2024 election win, citing Justice Department legal opinions that sitting presidents cannot face federal prosecution.
Cannon, who had previously dismissed the case in 2024 after ruling Smith was unlawfully appointed, said releasing the report would cause a “manifest injustice” to Trump and his two co-defendants.
“Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges,” Cannon wrote. “As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order.”
Cannon acknowledged that special counsels have historically released reports at the conclusion of their work. But she framed this case as different: previous releases happened either when no charges were brought or after convictions via plea or trial.
“The Court strains to find a situation in which a former special counsel has released a report after initiating criminal charges that did not result in a finding of guilt, at least not in a situation like this one, where the defendants contested the charges from the outset and still proclaim their innocence.”
The decision keeps the contents of Smith’s investigation largely hidden from the public, leaving Trump insulated from potential political fallout over the classified documents saga — at least for now. It also signals Cannon’s continued deference to the president, reinforcing concerns among critics about the judiciary’s handling of cases involving Trump allies.
With the report blocked, the public is left with only the headline facts: Smith investigated, charges were filed, and then dropped. What happened behind the scenes — the details of classified documents, legal arguments, and internal deliberations — remains off-limits.
