Judge grants Trump's request for a 'special master' to review materials seized from Mar-a-Lago

A federal judge has granted former President Donald Trump's request to appoint a "special master" to review materials that the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago last month.

The decision, from Trump-appointed District Judge Aileen Cannon, is a significant victory for the former President, who has railed against the Biden administration and Justice Department since the search was executed four weeks ago.

"As a function of Plaintiff's former position as President of the United States, the stigma associated with the subject seizure is in a league of its own," Cannon wrote. "A future indictment, based to any degree on property that ought to be returned, would result in reputational harm of a decidedly different order of magnitude."

Cannon ordered that a third-party attorney, from outside the government, be brought in to review the materials that were taken from Trump's home and resort in Florida. The order also halts the Justice Department from continuing its review of the materials seized from Mar-a-Lago "pending completion of the special master's review or further Court order."