Judge formally dismisses Trump's special master review after appeals court loss

Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, dismissed the former president's request "for lack of jurisdiction."
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By Madeleine Hubbard

A U.S. district court judge on Monday formally dismissed former President Donald Trump's request for a special master to review the documents seized during the FBI's raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate in August.

Florida-based District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, dismissed the former president's request "for lack of jurisdiction" and canceled any scheduled hearings on the matter, court documents show. 

The decision comes after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month unanimously determined that Cannon was wrong to appoint an independent special master to review Trump's executive privilege claims and to prevent the Justice Department from conducting a review.

The Justice Department asked the 11th Circuit Court in October to remove special master Raymond Dearie from his position overseeing the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago. The Supreme Court that month rejected a request from Trump's attorneys to intervene and allow Dearie to review the documents.