Judge Denies One Motion to Dismiss Trump Documents Case

The Epoch Times Header

She left the door open for the defense to bring the arguments back in a separate motion.

FORT PIERCE, Fla.โ€”U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on March 14 heard arguments on two of former President Donald Trumpโ€™s several motions to dismiss a case alleging he mishandled classified documents, rejecting one motion by order roughly two hours after court adjourned.

โ€œDefendantโ€™s motion is denied without prejudice,โ€ the judge wrote regarding the motion to dismiss based on unconstitutional vagueness.

Defense attorneys had argued for dismissal of 32 counts regarding mishandling classified documents under the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and for โ€œunconstitutional vagueness.โ€ However, during the hearing, Judge Cannon seemed unconvinced that those arguments werenโ€™t better suited to the trial stage of the case. These were only two of several motions to dismiss filed by the defense.

Her order allows the arguments to be raised later โ€œas appropriate in connection with jury-instruction briefing and/or other appropriate motions.โ€

The judge said the arguments posed warranted โ€œserious considerationโ€ and that the issue โ€œdepends too greatly on contested instructional questions about still-fluctuating definitions of statutory terms/phrases as charged, along with at least some disputed factual issues as raised in the Motion.โ€

Judge Cannon had said it seemed โ€œprematureโ€ to bring in facts from outside the indictment pretrialโ€”such as whether the records in President Trumpโ€™s possession were โ€œpersonal records.โ€

Much of the argument of the day turned into debate over whether President Trump had the right to designate the documents personal, whether he did do so, and whether that designation under the PRA would supersede charges based on the Espionage Act.

Last summer, President Trump was charged with 37 counts, along with his valet Walt Nauta. Later, three charges were added related to obstruction, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira was added as a co-defendant. The case came after the FBIโ€™s high-profile raid of Mar-a-Lago in 2022, on the basis that President Trump retained classified documents he had been subpoenaed to return.

Arguments on the two motions frequently bled into a separate motion to dismiss based on selective and vindictive prosecution, which wasnโ€™t on the agenda for March 14.

Byย Catherine Yang,ย Jacob Burgย andย T.J. Muscaro

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Why Fishermen Are Catching Fewer Lobsters in Maine

For veteran lobsterman Travis Dammier, it was the end of another trip at sea on a solo voyage to earn a living.

Viewers like you

There is no constitutional authority for any spending on public broadcasting โ€“ period. Any questions: See Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Beyond the Trump-Musk fallout?

We are witnessing an unprecedented, unhinged Democrat effort to use lawfare, big Democrat donors, street theater, congressional disruptions, potty-mouth videos, the administrative state, the legacy media, and discredited pollsters to stop the Trump agenda.

Trans-wormal

No worm ever said "I am anthropomorphizing, I am a butterfly" to a toad or flock of geese and expected acknowledgement and support.

In Greenlandโ€™s Icy Capital, Past Troubles Haunt Hopes for the Future

As geopolitical realities and ongoing economic growth raise the stakes, U.S. interest in Greenland and the dream of independence may change things in a big way.

News

Why Drug Price Reform Alone Wonโ€™t Heal America

What happens when medications become too cheap, plentiful, and automatic and we donโ€™t reform how drugs are used? We risk clinical harm.

Trump Says Musk Will Face โ€˜Very Serious Consequencesโ€™ If He Backs Democrats

President Trump warned that Musk could face โ€œserious consequencesโ€ if he decides to back Democratic political candidates in upcoming elections.

Judge Declines to Block Trump Admin From Dismantling Library Services Agency

A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump admin to move forward with plan to dismantle the federal agency that funds libraries nationwide.

Supreme Court to Review Alabamaโ€™s Death Row Case Concerning IQ Test

The Supreme Court will consider how courts should weigh multiple IQ tests when assessing a death row defendantโ€™s claim of intellectual disability.

US Travel Ban Will Not Hinder Los Angeles Olympics, LA28 CEO Says

Trumpโ€™s directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering US exempts athletes. Officials confident Games have full backing of administration.

Musk Mulls New Political Party Amid Feud With Trump

Elon Musk is considering launching a new political party in wake of his public fallout with President Trump over a major Republican tax and spending bill.

Citigroup Reverses Course on Controversial Firearm Policies

Citigroup reversed its policy requiring retail business clients to refrain from selling firearms to those who havenโ€™t passed background checks.

AI Is Taking Thousands of Jobs; Is Yours at Risk?

Just as the internet radically changed how America conducts business, AI is also making waves in the workplace by taking thousands of jobs.
spot_img

Related Articles