Former President Donald Trump scored a big victory in his classified documents case as U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge, denied special counsel Jack Smith’s request to keep secret a list of 84 potential witnesses in the case.
Federal prosecutors had asked Cannon to keep the witness list under seal.
“In order to implement Judge Goodman’s special condition of release, the government hereby moves to file the list of witnesses subject to the prohibition under seal with the Court,” Jay Bratt on Smith’s legal team wrote in Friday’s filing.
A coalition of news organizations, including NBC News, The Associated Press, The New York Times, and CBS News, argued the case presents issues of public interest that “cannot be overstated.”
They claimed the witness list reflected “a turning point from the secrecy of the Grand Jury investigation to the public administration of justice involving the highest level of power in American Government.”
“We are pleased that the Court recognized the First Amendment requires the government to meet a very high bar to seal any portion of these historic proceedings,” Chuck Tobin, an attorney for the press coalition, said.
According to NBC:
In a separate order Monday, Cannon set a July 14 hearing date to discuss how classified materials will be handled in the case, as requested by the government.
She also granted the government’s request for the appointment of a classified information security officer to assist each side with the handling of any motions or orders related to the Classified Information Procedures Act.
Smith is not only attempting to keep this case under seal from the American people but impose absurd restrictions on the former president and Walt Nauta as to how evidence can be viewed. Cannon denies Smith's demand to prevent Trump and Nauta to communicate with at least 84… pic.twitter.com/AiARrU38KR
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) June 26, 2023
BREAKING: This is why they want to get rid of Judge Aileen Cannon in classified docs case. Her first smackdown of Special Counsel Jack Smith:
"PAPERLESS ORDER denying without prejudice Government's Motion to Implement Special Condition of Release. The Government seeks an order…
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) June 26, 2023
This is the order Jack Smith wanted the former president to sign pic.twitter.com/wIB77LU4dr
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) June 26, 2023
