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Judge Tosses Documents Case Against Trump; Jack Smith Appointment Unconstitutional
Breitbart News ^ | 15 Jul 2024 | Joel B. Pollak

Posted on 07/15/2024 7:31:55 AM PDT by george76

A federal judge in Florida threw out the prosecution of former President Donald Trump on Monday in the “documents” case because she ruled that Special Counsel Jack Smith had not been appointed in a constitutional or lawful manner.

Judge Aileen Cannon granted a defense motion after ruling that Smith, who was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate as other U.S. Attorneys have been in the past, could not lawfully bring the indictment against Trump in federal court.

“In the end, it seems the Executive’s growing comfort in appointing ‘regulatory’ special counsels in the more recent era has followed an ad hoc pattern with little judicial scrutiny,” Cannon wrote

....

As Breitbart News noted last month, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in a concurring opinion in Fischer v. United States — which said the Department of Justice had abused its power in prosecuting January 6th defendants under a statute about witness tampering — that Smith’s appointment was likely unconstitutional. Smith’s took aim at Thomas’s arguments in an unrelated filing in the case last week, which raised some legal eyebrows.

Smith brought charges against Trump in Florida — the site of Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago — alleging that he had mishandled classified documents when he left office. Judge Cannon looked askance at the fact that Smith convened a grand jury in Washington, D.C. — a notoriously anti-Trump jurisdiction — rather than in Florida.

It is not clear if Cannon’s ruling affects Smith’s separate prosecution of Trump for January 6-related charges in Washington.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia; US: Florida; US: New York; War
KEYWORDS: assassination; attempts; j6; jack; jacksmith; jan6; january6; lawfare; smith; trump; unconstitutional
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To: chajin

The decision doesn’t say. I don’t know the federal rules of criminal procedure, but as a general principle procedural dismissals are without prejudice because they don’t go to the merits, but the statute of limitations continues to run as if the first case hadn’t been filed. The general federal statute for crimes is six years, so well within the statute for refiling. However I’m thinking that the DOJ may have lost its appetite for fresh lawfare in light of recent developments


41 posted on 07/15/2024 8:17:15 AM PDT by j.havenfarm (23 years on Free Republic, 12/10/23! More than 8,000 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: george76

Oh no. All those hours and all those taxpayer dollars. Jeez Merrick.


42 posted on 07/15/2024 8:18:07 AM PDT by Tommy Revolts (,,)
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To: george76

More liberal heads popping. Lol.


43 posted on 07/15/2024 8:18:17 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: chajin

https://x.com/julie_kelly2/status/1812855334743982146/photo/1


44 posted on 07/15/2024 8:18:46 AM PDT by ScaniaBoy (Part of the Right Wing Research & Attack Machine)
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To: vpintheak

And sometimes a little too late. What damage was done that can never be repaired. Might have been one of the reasons for some to think that assassinating Trump was a good idea.

But we will accept the win.


45 posted on 07/15/2024 8:19:19 AM PDT by dhs12345
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To: Mr. Lucky
I remember reading before that if it is dismissed because of his appointment, everything he did and presented can never be used again.

But that's just a tidbit I remember...and I will look for that opinion.

46 posted on 07/15/2024 8:19:33 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: george76

If prosecution refiles, they would still have the obstacle of mishandled evidence, which would be impossible to fix.


47 posted on 07/15/2024 8:23:13 AM PDT by lurk (u)
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To: george76

48 posted on 07/15/2024 8:23:24 AM PDT by New Perspective (As Leonard Cohen said once in an interview, “You won’t like what comes after America”)
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To: chajin

She picked a good time to toss the indictment. We will hear at lot less caterwauling about “Trump getting off on a technicality.” Yeah, the Constitution and Due Process are technicalities.


49 posted on 07/15/2024 8:25:30 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (לעזאזל עם חמאס)
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To: Alas Babylon!
Amen.

50 posted on 07/15/2024 8:26:04 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (LORD, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.)
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To: george76

ALL YOUR ILLEGAL APPOINTMENTS BELONG TO US!


51 posted on 07/15/2024 8:27:11 AM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX)
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To: george76

Only two possibilities:

Garland, top LEO of the nation, and life-long DC legal apparatchik - had NO idea that the courts would look closely at his appointment of some guy off-the-street to prosecute a former President? If so, he’s a complete idiot

OR - he expected it, and did it anyway. Which means it was simply a planned media psyop, political prosecution, and election interference.


52 posted on 07/15/2024 8:35:23 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: chajin

I read that the government will likely appeal to the 11th circuit. I forget if the ability to appeal means with or without prejudice.


53 posted on 07/15/2024 8:35:48 AM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
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To: PGR88

Garland was sooo pis*ed his SCOTUS appointment failed, he became unhinged, as Biden would say. He went off the deep end, decided to break laws to get even.


54 posted on 07/15/2024 8:37:20 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: george76

Great news.


55 posted on 07/15/2024 8:44:32 AM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: george76

Now watch out for Merchan. That rotten commie bastard is their last best hope. I predict the maximum sentence on each charge and Trump remanded to prison immediately after sentencing. The democrats will not stop.


56 posted on 07/15/2024 8:44:41 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: RckyRaCoCo

His real name is Jack Schitt.


57 posted on 07/15/2024 8:47:02 AM PDT by Ben Dover (Terrorism is a cancer that can only be cured with massive doses of radiation.)
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To: teeman8r

They think he’ll be as vile and unprincipled, once in office, as THEY have been

Stupid and corrupt people think everyone is just like them


58 posted on 07/15/2024 8:50:07 AM PDT by SMARTY (In politics, stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon Bonaparte I)
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To: RainMan

That is a very good question.

He will appeal, that’s for sure.


59 posted on 07/15/2024 8:51:24 AM PDT by rdcbn1
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To: apillar

The DC sewer , not only a swamp..

-2- There will be more assassination attempts.


60 posted on 07/15/2024 8:51:34 AM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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