Judge Cannon’s order today not only postpones many trial deadlines in USA v Trump (MaL)—one by >17 weeks—but suggests she may allow an unprecedented approach to a CIPA issue that may force govt to bring an interlocutory appeal ...
... The coming dispute involves Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) § 4, which permits the govt to turn over classified docs in discovery in a summarized or redacted form so the defense doesn’t see national defense secrets irrelevant to the case ...
/2
... CIPA provides that the way to do this is for the govt to show the docs & proposed redactions to the judge in a sealed ex parte procedure (defense not present) & for defense to simultaneously outline its defense theories to judge, also ex parte (govt not present). ...
/3
... Judge then decides if redactions are fair. Trump wants new rules for him. He wants his lawyers to see the secret documents and to be able to argue in an adversarial proceeding that the redactions aren’t fair. He tried same thing in DC case. ...
/4
... In DC, Judge Chutkan denied Trump’s request, noting (below) that such a procedure was unprecedented and would defeat purpose of statute. But based on the new schedule Cannon has ordered, it looks like she may grant Trump’s same request in M-a-L case. ...
/5
... Why do I say that? Her original schedule (below) followed normal procedure. It called for the govt & Trump to submit simultaneous Section 4 filings—both ex parte—on 10/4. It then scheduled a hearing (presumably sealed) for one week later, 10/17, to resolve disputes. .../6
... New schedule is completely different. Govt is to file its § 4 motion on 12/4. That same day, Trump now files a motion “contesting the ex parte nature” of the process. (Cannon forgets to provide a date for govt to respond to that motion.) ...
/7
... *Then* >7 weeks later, on 1/23, Trump files “a defense challenge to § 4 motions.” This can only be possible if Cannon has granted Trump’s motion to discard ex parte procedures & proceed adversarially. (Again, she forgets to provide a date for govt to respond.)...
/8
... Cannon then calls for a 2-day hearing on the govt’s § 4 motions for 2/15-2/16. Hard to imagine a 2-day hearing that isn’t adversarial.
If Cannon grants adversarial approach to § 4, govt may have to appeal, further blowing any notion of pre-election trial.
/9-end
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A note on govt’s strong response to Trump’s argument—which initially gave me pause—that the impeachment clause bars a president from being prosecuted unless he is first convicted by the Senate after impeachment. (The Senate “acquitted” Trump, tho it voted 57-43 to convict) ...
/1
... Trump’s argument stems from the constitutional text that says punishment for impeachment is limited to “removal from office” but the party “convicted” is nevertheless subject to “indictment.” Trump says the Senate “acquitted” him, so he’s not subject to indictment. ...
/2
... The govt responds that the text merely means that impeachment & indictment serve very different purposes and double jeopardy does not bar undergoing both. Framers said as much in constitutional debates, & there are two DOJ Office of Legal Counsel rulings so holding. ...
/3
Day 3 of the Colo trial to keep Trump off ballot as insurrectionist should begin any moment. I'll be following for @lawfare . We expect constitutional scholar prof. Gerard Magliocca of Indiana Univ school of law to testify for petitioners this morning. ...
/1
... Yesterday we heard from Dr. Peter Simi, of Chapman Univ., an expert in political extremism & political violence in the morning & from Bill Banks, a national security expert & professor emeritus from Syracuse, in the afternoon. ...
/2
... While I wasn't tweeting yesterday, Prof Banks testified that POTUS is the "commander" of the DC National Guard, and had power to deploy its 1,100 members as soon as he saw, on Jan. 6, that the Capitol was under siege & its defenders outnumbered ...
/3
Allaying my recently expressed concerns, DOJ has filed very strong brief opposing SCOTUS review of its fragile victory last April regarding key felony charge in Jan. 6 & Trump cases: 18 USC 1512c2 (corrupt obstruction of official proceeding). ...
/1 bit.ly/3selsZd
One argument I didn't anticipate is that SCOTUS doesn't typically take interlocutory criminal appeals, which is what these are. Now that DOJ won appeal, it can proceed with prosecutions & then, if defendants are convicted, they can appeal then. ...
/2
USA also argues, as expected, that there's no circuit split--a point basically admitted by 2 of the 3 defendants. ...
/3
In yesterday’s order lifting the stay on the gag order, Judge Chutkan says that “the right to a fair trial is not [Trump’s] alone” & it’s a “basic mistake” to derive "vagueness" from the “mere fact that close cases can be envisioned.” ...
/1 bit.ly/3u1IZgo
... To show the workability of her order, she walks thru 2 of Trump’s posts. This 1st was permissible because it merely “asserts that Defendant is innocent, that his prosecution is politically motivated, and that the Biden administration is corrupt”--permitted under order.
/2
... The 2d, about Mark Meadows (while order was stayed), would “almost certainly violate” it because it “singles out a foreseeable witness for purposes of characterizing his potentially unfavorable testimony as a ‘lie’ ‘mad[e] up’ to secure immunity, ...
/3
This morning govt filed interesting response to Trump’s motions, both sealed & unsealed, alleging that delays in govt discovery require putting off Mar-a-Lago trial until mid-Nov 2024 (after election). Govt says claims are “incorrect & misleading.” ...
/1 bit.ly/45MX1zR
At this point, govt has, it says, provided two defense SCIFs in Miami, within a block of each other, for review & discussion of all classified discovery. ...
/2
... Trump has made much of fact that 9 classified docs were initially available only in DC—because so sensitive. (Govt calls these “special measures” docs.) After govt finally managed to make them available in SDFla, defense waited 11 days to review, it says ...
/3
In light of Trump's Truth Social threat to Mark Meadows yesterday, govt asks not only for prompt lifting of administrative stay on gag order, but modifying Trump's conditions of release to require compliance with gag order. That would allow detention & contempt as penalties...
/1
Govt says that the attack on Meadows was "an unmistakable & threatening message to a foreseeable witness in this case." It was message "intended to intimidate him."
/2
... Govt also lists other instances in which Trump incites or manipulates others to threaten or attack others. Cites the case of J6-er Taranto, who read Obama's alleged address in a Trump repost, and went there "heavily armed," posting "See you in hell ... Obama's [sic]." ...
/3