Trump and DOJ spend 130 pages supporting Judge Cannon's 'discretion' in burying Mar-a-Lago secrets

Source: Law & Crime

Jul 14th, 2026, 11:58 am


Attorneys for President Donald Trump, his former co-defendants, and the DOJ each filed lengthy briefs on Monday in support of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's "discretion" in permanently blocking the release of ex-special counsel Jack Smith's Mar-a-Lago report. Oral argument had been tentatively scheduled for late September, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weeks ago removed the consolidated cases from the calendar, noting the appeals would be "reassigned at a later date."

In the meantime, lawyers for Trump, his valet Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira on Monday submitted a 75-page brief praising Cannon's decision to block the DOJ from "releasing, sharing, or transmitting Volume II of the Final Report or any drafts of Volume II outside the Department of Justice."

"At its core, this matter arises out of Jack Smith's brazen and failed attempts to unconstitutionally prosecute and imprison President Trump and those around him, including Mr. Nauta and Mr. De Oliveira," Trump's brief began. "Even after the District Court dismissed Smith's baseless charges on the grounds that his appointment and the funding of his office violated the United States Constitution, Smith unlawfully prepared and sought to release a two-volume 'Final Report' in hopes of vindicating his efforts through other means."

Cannon, a Trump appointee, controversially dismissed the classified documents prosecution against the then-presidential candidate in July 2024, finding after "careful study" that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. In February, the judge said that her ruling meant "all" of Smith's acts were invalidated, and thus he had no business producing the report in the first place.

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