Aileen Cannon, a U.S. District Judge who was appointed by Trump, agreed to the president’s request to stop the release of the second volume of the report permanently. She said that publishing it would be a “manifest injustice” to Trump and the other defendants in the classified documents case.
“Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges,” Cannon said Monday.
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The ruling blocks the Justice Department from “releasing, distributing, conveying, or sharing with anyone outside the Department of Justice any information or conclusions in Volume II or in drafts thereof.”
The announcement coincides with the scheduled release of Volume II of Smith’s special counsel probe on Tuesday.
Trump’s former defense attorney, Kendra Wharton, praised Cannon’s decision to block Volume II of Smith’s report from being released publicly, telling Fox News Digital in a statement that her “courage and judicial resolve on these important due process issues should be recognized and taught in law school classrooms across America.”
Cannon had already said that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was against the law, but the case was dropped after Trump won re-election in 2024.
