Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on Monday, ruling that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith by the Department of Justice violated the appointments clause of the U.S. Constitution. According to Cannon's ruling, Smith should have been appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate like other high-level officers.
"The Special Counsel's position effectively usurps that important legislative authority, transferring it to a Head of Department, and in the process threatening the structural liberty inherent in the separation of powers," she opined in a 93-page document justifying the dismissal of Smith's indictment. Trump had been charged with illegally hiding sensitive government documents in his Mar-a-Lago residence after leaving office.
