Judge restricts Trump from disclosing case evidence without permission.

A Victory for Special Counsel Jack Smith

A federal judge in Florida on Monday issued a significant ruling in the classified documents case involving former President Donald Trump. The judge ordered Trump and his legal team to refrain from disclosing any evidence without permission.

This ruling is a major win for Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team, who had requested an order to prevent Trump from making public any materials shared during the discovery process.

“The Discovery Materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court,” said U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in his order.

In addition, Judge Reinhart imposed restrictions on the defendants’ access to discovery materials. They must be supervised by defense counsel or their staff and are not allowed to retain copies. Any notes must be securely stored by the lawyers.

Last week, Trump appeared in a Miami federal courtroom and pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, including alleged violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction, and making false statements. He has been vocal about the investigation on social media and in public, claiming he is the target of a “witch hunt” and criticizing Jack Smith.

Walt Nauta, an aide to Trump, was also indicted in the documents case and is subject to Judge Reinhart’s order. Nauta is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27.

Smith’s team filed a motion on Friday seeking a protective order for the evidence, emphasizing that it contains sensitive and confidential information that could jeopardize ongoing investigations if disclosed. Both Trump’s and Nauta’s lawyers did not object to the request.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated by Trump, has been assigned to preside over the documents case, although some aspects are being handled by other judges. Judge Jonathan Goodman oversaw Trump’s arraignment. Judge Cannon referred the motion on disclosing evidence to Judge Reinhart, citing local rules, according to CNN. Judge Reinhart is the same judge who approved the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last year.

Controversy Surrounding Judge Cannon

Some legal experts have called for Judge Cannon to recuse herself from the case due to past rulings related to the documents matter. One ruling in favor of Trump’s mar-a-lago-documents” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>request for a special master to review privileged materials seized from Mar-a-Lago was overturned by a federal appeals court. Despite the controversy, Judge Cannon has ordered defense attorneys to begin the process of obtaining security clearances.