First pretrial hearing in Trump's classified document case concludes on Friday

The first of a series of pretrial hearings in former President Trump's classified documents case has concluded on Friday

Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who is overseeing Trump’s criminal case over allegedly mishandling classified documents after his term in the White House, heard arguments on the legality of special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment.

Some conservative lawyers have argued that Smith is not able to bring forth criminal charges against a former president as a private citizen, given that he wasn't confirmed by the Senate.

Trump's legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the case based on the argument that Smith was not legally appointed.

Smith's team called that argument is "unsound," arguing that Attorney General Merrick Garland has the authority to make such an appointment. 

The next pretrial hearing is expected to take place on Monday.

Critics argue that Cannon's decision to hear these arguments over multiple days plays into the Trump team's strategy to delay the case until after the presidential election in November.