WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – In a legal victory for former President Donald Trump, his Florida classified documents case is now dismissed.
Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sided with Trump’s attorneys, who argued that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unlawful.
Cannon said Smith’s appointment by the Justice Department, without a presidential nomination or Senate confirmation, violated the Constitution. Also at issue: Congress didn’t authorize money for Smith’s role.
Smith alleged that Trump kept highly sensitive government materials at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House, and resisted efforts by the FBI to get them back.
Former President Trump praised the ruling on Truth Social, and said he hopes it leads to the dismissal of all of his cases.
Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett said it was the right move.
“And the Constitution is just to keep us in our lane, and they are clearly way out of their lane.”
But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the ruling “breathtakingly misguided” on X. He said it, “flies in the face of long-accepted practice and repetitive judicial precedence.”
California Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff was also critical of the ruling, writing on X, “Today’s precedent-shattering decision in Florida is further proof that the guardrails of our democracy are coming down.”
Smith can appeal the case for a higher court to weigh in.
It’s unclear yet if that will happen.