Tag Archive for: Special Master

Unanimous Ruling By Court Of Appeals Halts Special Master In Mar-a-Lago Documents Case, Reaffirming Principle That No One Is Above The Law

Last night, in a unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, ruled against former President Donald Trump and halted the special master’s review of the documents seized from Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago. “In considering these arguments,” the Appeals Court panel wrote, “we are faced with a choice: […]

Mar-a-Lago Documents Case: Amicus Briefs And Additional Resources

A group of former federal prosecutors and state and federal government officials who served in Republican Administrations, including former top Justice Department officials who served as Assistant, Deputy, and Acting Attorneys General, and U.S. Attorneys, filed amicus briefs in the three stages of the Mar-a-Lago documents case, at the district court and 11th Circuit Court […]

Former Republican Officials, Including Top DOJ Officials And Former Federal Prosecutors, File Amicus Brief Supporting Government’s Appeal Of Special Master Ruling In Mar-a-Lago Documents Case

The District Court erred and “abandoned the fundamental principle that no one is above the law.” Last month’s court order by federal District Judge Aileen Cannon authorizing a special master in the Mar-a-Lago documents case “repeatedly granted the plaintiff in this case, former President Donald J. Trump, procedural rights and protections that are not afforded […]

Former Republican Officials, Including Top Federal Prosecutors And DOJ Officials, Support Government’s Request For A Partial Stay In Mar-a-Lago Documents Case; Amicus Brief Filed In DOJ’s Emergency Appeal

The District Court in Florida erred in its decision granting a special master in the Mar-a-Lago documents case and the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit should allow the Government full access to the classified documents retrieved from Mar-a-Lago for its criminal investigation, according to an amicus brief filed last night supporting the Government’s emergency motion. Further, […]

Eisen/Wertheimer: DOJ Focus On Classified Docs In Appeal Of Special Master Ruling Is Shrewd Move That Will Protect National Security

The DOJ strategy means “the most legally odious and dangerous aspects of the court’s order can be immediately challenged and hopefully quickly overturned.” On Thursday, the Justice Department announced it would appeal Judge Aileen Cannon’s order blocking criminal investigators from using the classified documents seized last month from former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago […]

Judge’s Special Master Decision Is Dead Wrong; Raises Serious Concerns About Future Role Of Trump-Appointed Judges

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | September 8, 2022 In 2018, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.” This proved to be true following the 2020 presidential election, when judges appointed by Democratic and Republican Presidents, including Trump appointees, acted at a historic moment to […]

Eisen/Wertheimer Op-Ed: Judge Cannon’s Flawed Special Master Ruling And The “Weighty Decision” Facing DOJ Regarding An Appeal

Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon granted former President Donald Trump’s request for a special master to review the documents seized at the court-approved search of Mar-a-Lago last month.  This, Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.) and Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer write today in Slate, “was in some ways not a surprise. … though, we […]

Trump’s Request For A Special Master In Mar-a-Lago Case Is “Unprecedented” And “Manifestly Frivolous”, Former Republican Officials, Including Federal Prosecutors And DOJ Officials, Write In Amicus Brief Filed In Florida Case

Regardless of one’s political views, it is clear that there is no legal support for former President Donald Trump’s request for a special master to oversee a review of the evidence seized by the Justice Department in its court-appointed search of Mar-a-Lago on August 8, according to an amicus brief filed on Tuesday in the U.S. […]