U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, overseeing the trial involving former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, struck down two of the Justice Department filings, including a request to leave filings under seal, according to a ruling delivered Monday morning.
"The special counsel states in conclusory terms that the supplement should be sealed from public view 'to comport with grand jury secrecy,' but the motion for leave and the supplement plainly fail to satisfy the burden of establishing a sufficient legal or factual basis to warrant sealing the motion and supplement," Cannon's ruling read.
It also seeks prosecution explanation for why a Washington, D.C., grand jury was used in the Florida documents case.
"Among other topics as raised in the motion, the response shall address the legal propriety of using an out-of-district grand jury proceeding to continue to investigate and/or to seek post-indictment hearings on matters pertinent to the instant indicted matter in this district," Cannon said.
At the heart of Monday's ruling is a prosecution allegation of Walt Nauta's lawyer, Stanley Woodward, having a conflict of interest and requesting a hearing on the issue.
The DOJ fears Woodward might be cross-examining a past or former client in a potential Nauta trial.
Nauta's defense lawyers have Aug. 17 deadline to address the prosecution's motion, while the prosecution is order to respond by Aug. 22.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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