In the ongoing classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order on Friday addressing proposed redactions from both the defense and the prosecution led by special counsel Jack Smith. Cannon accepted some redactions while rejecting others as the parties continue to wrangle over the handling of sensitive information in court filings.
The judge agreed with both sides that the names of potential witnesses or information that would clearly identify them should be kept hidden along with personal identifying information such as addresses. However, she rejected Trump’s proposed redactions to some witness statements stating that no basis was provided for these redactions and also turned down a request by the special counsel to redact some of the same information.
For redactions where the parties disagree, Cannon said she would “accept for now” Trump’s characterization of portions of the material falling under privilege pending her review of privilege arguments. She would also accept the special counsel’s position on Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure which governs the secrecy of grand jury proceedings despite concerns outlined in the order.
The case, which has seen Judge Cannon indefinitely postpone the trial due to the Department of Justice’s mishandling of evidence, continues to unfold with both sides wrangling over the handling of classified materials and allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.
