Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, permanently blocked the public release of special counsel Jack Smith's final report on the classified documents investigation Monday. The ruling means Americans won't get to see what the investigation uncovered about Trump's handling of sensitive materials at Mar-a-Lago.
Cannon's reasoning hinged on a decision she made back in 2024 - ruling that Smith wasn't legally appointed as special counsel in the first place. Because of that earlier dismissal, Cannon said releasing the report would cause "manifest injustice" to Trump and his former co-defendants. She also called Smith's decision to finish the report after she dismissed the case a "brazen stratagem" designed to defy her original order.
The blocked report represents a significant legal victory for Trump. Smith's investigation had accused Trump of illegally retaining national defense information and obstructing justice. However, transparency advocates quickly pushed back. The Knight Institute and American Oversight, two groups fighting the secrecy, vowed to appeal Cannon's decision to higher courts. They argue the public has a right to know what their tax dollars funded - especially on national security matters.