Knight Institute Urges Eleventh Circuit to Reverse District Court Order Barring Release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Report

Columbia University Group Denounces as ‘Meritless’ Judge Cannon’s Ruling That Blocks Release of Jack Smith’s Mar-a-Lago Report

The claim sets up a challenge over the secret dispatch that will be decided by the 11th United States Appeals Circuit.

Knight Institute Urges Eleventh Circuit to Reverse District Court Order Barring Release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Report

FORT PIERCE, Fla.—The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a supplemental opening brief today urging the Eleventh Circuit to reverse Judge Aileen Cannon’s order permanently enjoining the Department of Justice from releasing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021. The brief argues that the district court lacked jurisdiction to enter the permanent injunction while the Institute’s first appeal was pending, and that Judge Cannon’s justifications for permanently suppressing the report lack merit. The following can be attributed to Scott Wilkens, senior counsel at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University: “Judge Cannon’s justifications for permanently suppressing the Special Counsel’s report don’t withstand scrutiny. The report is a government record of profound public importance that must be released. The public has the right to see this report under the First Amendment, common law, and Freedom of Information Act. It’s that simple.” Read today’s brief here. Read more about the case here. For more information, contact: Gabriel Tyler, gabriel.tyler@knightcolumbia.org