Judge names special master in Trump FBI case, denies DOJ use of disputed documents

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed New York Judge Raymond Dearie as special master to independently review documents the FBI took from former President Donald Trump's Florida home in early August.

Cannon's appointment of Dearie came alongside a separate ruling that denied the Department of Justice's request to continue its own review of the documents.

"The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Government’s conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion," Cannon wrote in her ruling denying the DOJ further review of the seized documents.

The DOJ has already appealed that matter to the 11th Circuit.

Trump had named Dearie as a potential candidate to serve as special master, a choice to which the DOJ did not object. The agency had nominated two of its own potential reviewers. President Ronald Reagan appointed Dearie to the bench in the 1980s. He served as a New York judge until his retirement in 2011.

"Each have substantial judicial experience, during which they have presided over federal criminal and civil cases, including federal cases involving national security and privilege concerns," prosecutors said of the candidates at the time.