Judge Aileen Cannon denied the request of special counsel Jack Smith, who requestedor protect the list of 84 possible witnesses for the trial of former President Donald Trumpdue to mishandling of classified documents.
The reason, said the judge, is that the prosecutors failed to explain the reasons why they want to keep that information restricted.
“The Government’s motion does not explain why it is necessary to present the list to the Court,” Judge Cannon wrote. “Does not offer a particularized basis to justify sealing the list from public consultation; does not explain why partial sealing, redaction, or means other than sealing are not available or satisfactory; and does not specify the duration of any proposed seal.
Judge Cannon’s decision also cites the petition of a coalition of national media, including The New York Times, Politico, Telemundo, The Washington Post, CNN, among others, who opposed such data protection.
The legal representatives of the media cited the First Amendment to have access to the information that would be handed over by prosecutors.
“This case, the first prosecution of a former president of the United Statesis one of the most important criminal cases in the nation’s history,” the media coalition wrote.
For this reason, they considered that it was not “exaggerated” to highlight the interest of the public in the matter and the importance of having access to information, including the list of witnesses.
The petition from special counsel Jack Smith and the court’s lead prosecutor, Jay Bratt, was entered in the Southern District Court in Florida last week, also asking to uphold restrictions on evidence.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart made a first decision, citing the inability of former President Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta to disseminate the information provided to him.
“Potential witnesses and the attorney for potential witnesses may be shown copies of the Discovery Materials, as necessary to prepare the defense, but may not retain copies without prior permission of the Court,” the order states.
Former President Trump faces 37 criminal charges for the mishandling of classified information that was taken from the White House to his residence in Mar-a-Lago.
Keep reading:
• Arraignment postponed against Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta for failing to find local lawyer
• CNN publishes audio with new details of Trump’s conversation about the classified documents
• Trump accuses prosecutor Smith, the DOJ and the FBI of leaking audio where he talks about the classified documents
Source: La Opinion
