On Thursday, June 20, 2024, Newsweek reported that Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump for retaining classified documents after leaving office, may appoint a supervisor to oversee Special Counsel Jack Smith’s work.
Cannon has scheduled hearings to examine arguments that Smith’s appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland was unlawful and unconstitutional. Law professor Joshua Blackman is set to argue on behalf of another scholar, Seth Barrett Tillman, at the hearings. Tillman has maintained that as a temporarily appointed special counsel, Smith is really just an “employee” of the Justice Department rather than a true “Officer of the United States” as required by law.
Tillman has proposed that if the court finds issues with Smith’s status, one remedy could be for Cannon to appoint a United States Attorney to oversee Smith’s work handling the classified documents case. However, it remains uncertain whether Cannon will accept this suggested solution.
The article also mentions that former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance believes attempts to have Smith removed are unlikely to succeed, noting similar arguments did not work during past special counsel investigations.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg was also critical of Cannon’s unusual decision to allow parties not directly involved in the case to offer arguments about Smith’s appointment.
Source: Newsweek
