{"id":2295808,"date":"2024-07-16T07:31:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T11:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-trump-documents-case-dismissal-means-for-special-counsels-and-jack-smith-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-16T07:34:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T11:34:25","slug":"what-trump-documents-case-dismissal-means-for-special-counsels-and-jack-smith-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-trump-documents-case-dismissal-means-for-special-counsels-and-jack-smith-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"What Trump documents case dismissal means for special counsels and Jack Smith &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-trump-documents-case-dismissal-means-for-special-counsels-and-jack-smith-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2295808&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the dismissal \u2064of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-arrested-judge-cannon-sets-may-20-trial-date-for-documents-case\/\" title=\"Trial date set for Donald Trump&#039;s arrest in documents case: May 20.\">classified\u200d documents case<\/a>\u2062 against former President Donald Trump by Judge Aileen Cannon, who deemed the appointment of special counsel Jack \u200bSmith\u200d unconstitutional. This decision\u2063 raises questions about the future of Smith&#8217;s cases against Trump and the proper means to appoint special counsels for federal criminal cases.\u2064 Legal experts are surprised\u200b by the ruling, and the appeals process is expected to be resolved after the presidential election, potentially delaying Trump&#8217;s trial until 2025. There is speculation\u2063 about the possibility of the 11th Circuit overturning Cannon&#8217;s decision, allowing Trump to appeal further if necessary. The article also highlights the distinction between Smith and other special counsels, such as U.S. Attorney\u2062 David Weiss, and discusses\u2063 the implications of Cannon&#8217;s ruling on future appointments of special prosecutors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\"><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">What Trump documents case dismissal means for special counsels and Jack Smith<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/kaelan-deese\/\">Kaelan Deese<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-16T07:00:00-04:00\">July 16, 2024 7:00 am<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1703976\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The judge presiding over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/classified-documents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">classified documents<\/a> case against former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> made waves Monday after she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3082471\/judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>dismissed<\/a> the indictment based on the \u201cunconstitutional\u201d appointment of special counsel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jack Smith<\/a>, raising questions about the future of Smith\u2019s two cases against Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The decision by the Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon also leaves lingering inquiries about the proper means to appoint special counsels for federal criminal cases. Her decision isn\u2019t final, and a spokesman from the special counsel\u2019s office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3083922\/doj-appeal-dismissal-trump-classified-documents-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said Monday afternoon<\/a> the Department of Justice has authorized the office to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jack Smith and Donald Trump. (AP Photos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Legal experts such as former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani described Cannon\u2019s ruling as \u201cstunning\u201d in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, saying Cannon \u201ccould have easily dismissed the case on grounds of presidential immunity instead of saying Smith\u2019s appointment was unconstitutional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cannon\u2019s decision comes just two weeks after the Supreme Court decided the immunity dispute in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&#038;source=web&#038;rct=j&#038;opi=89978449&#038;url=https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3030301\/supreme-court-finds-some-immunity-for-presidents-complicating-trump-indictment\/&#038;ved=2ahUKEwij7Ny0mKqHAxVrkokEHVn6D4EQFnoECBIQAQ&#038;usg=AOvVaw1eR24O2z8R_C9xTQ6329JM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Trump v. United States<\/a><\/em>, which separated presidential acts into three buckets: clear immunity from prosecution, clearly not immune, and unclear. However, she only leaned partially on that ruling in her written decision, citing a portion of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3083684\/judge-cannon-points-to-clarence-thomas-to-defend-trump-case-dismissal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>concurrence by Justice Clarence Thomas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the top questions swirling after the shocking classified documents case dismissal.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did Cannon come to her determination?<\/h2>\n<p>The dismissal of the 40-count indictment in Florida clung to the fact that no statute authorized the appointment of Smith and his deputies, and it rested on violations of the Constitution\u2019s Appointments and Appropriations clauses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bottom line is this: The Appointments Clause is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-to-appeal-dismissal-of-trump-classified-documents-case-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"DOJ to appeal dismissal of Trump classified documents case - Washington Examiner\">critical constitutional restriction stemming<\/a> from the separation of powers, and it gives to Congress a considered role in determining the propriety of vesting appointment power for inferior officers,\u201d Cannon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/750650095\/Trump-classified-documents-case-dismissed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote<\/a> in a 93-page ruling.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s second challenge was rooted in the Appropriations Clause, which prohibits \u201cany money from being \u2018drawn from the Treasury\u2019 unless such funding has been appropriated by an act of Congress,\u201d Cannon added.<\/p>\n<p>Article 2 of the Constitution creates three categories of federal employees. The first is principal officers, which are people who answer directly to the president. The second are inferior officers, which gives department heads the authority to appoint such officials. The third is simply regular employees hired to work in the government.<\/p>\n<p>Under the interpretation of Article 2 by Cannon, Smith would fall into the third category because his time with the DOJ between 2015 and September 2017 was as an assistant U.S. attorney, which did not require Senate confirmation. Smith resigned after the nomination of Donald Cochran,\u00a0who became the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee under the Trump administration. From there, he went on to work as chief prosecutor for the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in 2018 and stepped down in November 2022.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are all special counsels unconstitutional?<\/h2>\n<p>The decision by Cannon prompted questions about the future of past and current special prosecutors and the mechanisms by which they are appointed and funded in the United States. Legal experts say Cannon did not totally overturn the practice of appointing special counsels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven though she says it\u2019s limited to this case, her ruling casts doubt upon the appointment of special counsels in other cases, most notably Hunter Biden,\u201d Rahmani said, referencing U.S. Attorney David Weiss\u2019s position as special counsel to the Hunter Biden criminal investigation in Delaware.<\/p>\n<p>Rahmani expressed the viewpoint that even the appointment of Weiss could be challenged by the first son, who was recently convicted of three felony counts for lying on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andrew-c-mccarthy-hunter-bidens-end-game-its-about-far-more-than-him\/\" title=\"Andrew C. McCarthy: Hunter Biden\u2019s End Game: It\u2019s About Far More Than Him\">federal firearms form<\/a>. However, there likely isn\u2019t a one-to-one comparison between Smith and Weiss because of one key distinction: Congress\u2019s role in appointments and appropriations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeiss was already the sitting Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney,\u201d James Burnham, president of Vallecito Capital and a former clerk to Justice Neil Gorsuch, said.<\/p>\n<p>Burnham emphasized that \u201cnothing would stop the attorney general from giving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-ag-bill-barr-to-merrick-garland-appoint-a-special-counsel-already\/\" title=\"Former AG Bill Barr To Merrick Garland: Appoint A Special Counsel Already\">special counsel status<\/a> to an existing U.S. attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat this means is you can\u2019t pull somebody from just off the street and bring them into the department to serve as a special counsel. Weiss is unaffected by this opinion,\u201d Burnham said.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, Smith is \u201cneither a principal nor an inferior officer,\u201d according to Richard Kelsey, a local Virginia attorney who spoke to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does the appeals process look like for both of Smith\u2019s federal indictments?<\/h2>\n<p>Any appeal is likely to be resolved after the presidential election, all but guaranteeing that Trump would not face trial until 2025 at the earliest. If Trump is elected president in November, he could order his attorney general to dismiss the case, as well as the 2020 election subversion case.<\/p>\n<p>However, some legal experts, including Rahmani, have suggested there could be a chance for the 11th Circuit to overturn Cannon\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if her order is overturned by the 11th Circuit or the Supreme Court.\u00a0Justice Thomas is the only justice who seems persuaded by this type of argument,\u201d Rahmani said.<\/p>\n<p>For the classified documents case, Trump could appeal an 11th Circuit decision to reverse Cannon\u2019s dismissal of the case. From there, he could ask for a rehearing en banc, or before the full court, and he may also seek Supreme Court review as a last resort.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Washington, D.C., judge who is presiding over the 2020 election subversion case, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cadc.uscourts.gov\/internet\/opinions.nsf\/1AC5A0E7090A350785258ABB0052D942\/%24file\/23-3228-2039001.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>not yet been presented<\/a> with a bid to void Smith\u2019s special counsel status, nor has she even resumed progress on the pretrial stages of that case following the immunity decision.<\/p>\n<p>Chutkan at some point will likely have to weigh in on the issue of Smith\u2019s appointment by Garland, and if she rules against Trump, the defense does not enjoy the benefit of appealing an unfavorable decision until after a potential trial concludes, legal experts told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For now, court watchers will wait in earnest to see how the 11th Circuit rules and whether the Supreme Court once again is compelled to wade into Trump\u2019s legal travails over this important Article 2 question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the 11th Circuit agrees with Judge Cannon, then the Supreme Court will almost certainly take the case. If the 11th Circuit reverses Judge Cannon, then I think it\u2019s a closer call,\u201d Burnham said, noting there could still be an appetite to review the case even if Trump\u2019s defense loses at the appeals court.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1703976\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1703976\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The dismissal of the case against former President Donald Trump based on the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was deemed unconstitutional by the judge, sparking uncertainty about the future of Smith&#8217;s cases against Trump. The decision is not final and may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Legal experts are surprised by the ruling, which focused on violations of the Constitution&#8217;s Appointments and Appropriations clauses. The ruling raises questions about the appointment and funding of special counsels in federal criminal cases. There is speculation about the impact on other special prosecutors, such as U.S. Attorney David Weiss, but it is unlikely to affect him due to his Senate confirmation. The appeals process for Smith&#8217;s federal indictments may not be resolved until after the presidential election, potentially delaying Trump&#8217;s trial until 2025. There is a possibility of the 11th Circuit or Supreme Court overturning the judge&#8217;s decision. The outcome of the appeals process will determine the future of Trump&#8217;s legal challenges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2295809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/MixCollage-18-Jun-2024-03-13-PM-5720.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[35179,5407,32463,35180,3634],"class_list":["post-2295808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-case-dismissal","tag-documents","tag-jack-smith","tag-special-counsels","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/MixCollage-18-Jun-2024-03-13-PM-5720.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2295808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2295808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2295808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2295809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2295808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2295808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2295808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}