A federal judge has permanently blocked the release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated by Trump, granted the Republican president's request to keep the report under wraps.

The report detailed Smith's investigation into Trump's retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Both investigations had resulted in indictments that were later abandoned following Trump's 2024 election victory, citing Justice Department rules against prosecuting sitting presidents.

Judge Cannon, who dismissed the classified documents case in 2024 after ruling Smith was unlawfully appointed, said releasing the report would constitute a 'manifest injustice' to Trump and his co-defendants. She emphasized that special counsels typically release reports only after declining to bring charges or after guilty verdicts, not when defendants have contested charges from the outset and maintain their innocence.