A maverick judge tosses out Donald Trump’s classified-documents case

Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Mr Trump in 2020, has been stretching out the calendar in the first of two lawsuits styled United States v Trump since she was randomly assigned to the case in June 2023. This week’s ruling contends that the prosecution was illicit from the start. Jack Smith, the special counsel, was installed in violation of the constitution’s “appointments clause”, which requires “officers of the United States” to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.