A federal court ruled Monday to permanently block the
publication of the second volume of the report prepared by former special
counsel Jack Smith, a document analyzing President Donald Trump's handling of
classified materials after the end of his first term in the White House.
The ruling represents a significant legal victory for both
the president and the others involved in the case related to the handling of
confidential documents. The second volume of the report specifically addressed
actions taken after Trump left office and was part of an investigation that had
generated widespread public and political interest.
The decision was issued by Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a
district judge appointed during the Trump administration. Cannon granted the
request filed by the president's defense to permanently prevent the release of
the document. In her ruling, she stated that making the report's contents
public would constitute a "manifest injustice" not only to Trump, but
also to the co-defendants in the case related to classified documents.
The court ruling closes, at least for now, the possibility
of the second volume being officially released, and adds a new chapter to the protracted
legal dispute surrounding the investigation into the handling of sensitive
information at the end of the first presidential term.