Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal of Donald Trump's classified documents case may backfire on the former president, according to a slew of legal experts, potentially landing the presumptive Republican nominee in another court where he'd be less likely to win on the merits.
In her decision Monday, Cannon opined that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith by the Department of Justice violated the Constitution. But she had long frustrated prosecutors and legal observers before this week for repeatedly delaying the trial and appearing partial towards Trump's team, culminating now in a ruling that one expert called "jurisprudential garbage." The decision, which clashes with Watergate-era precedent over the appointment of independent prosecutors, asserts that Smith should have been appointed by the president himself and confirmed by the Senate.
