Justice Department Appeals Cannon’s Order to Appoint Special Master

On Sept. 8, the Justice Department filed a notice of appeal and motion to stay U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision to grant former President Trump’s request for a special master to oversee materials seized during the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago residence. 

In the motion to stay Cannon’s order, the Justice Department argued that the order would “cause the most immediate and serious harm to the government and the public.” The Justice Department also asserted that the FBI should be authorized to evaluate empty folders with “classified banners” seized at Mar-a-Lago to “assess what materials might have previously occupied the folders and “whether they may have been lost or compromised.”