In a major legal twist, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the federal case against former President Donald Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. The July 15, 2024 ruling found that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional, invalidating the indictment and halting one of the most high-profile cases against a former president.

Case Background
The case stemmed from missing documents discovered by the National Archives in 2021. Despite repeated requests, Trump failed to return the materials, leading to an FBI raid in August 2022 that recovered over 100 classified documents. A grand jury later indicted Trump on 37 felony counts, including obstruction and illegal retention of national defense information.