The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s prosecution on charges of mishandling classified documents on Thursday rejected one of his motions seeking to have the case dismissed, the first time she has denied a legal attack on the indictment.

In a two-page order, the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, rebuffed arguments by Mr. Trump’s lawyers that the central statute in the indictment, the Espionage Act, was impermissibly vague and should be struck down entirely.

Alieen Cannon is a Trump appointee.

  • red_rising@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Wouldn’t this more or less free anyone else charged under that same act…… like Edward Snowden?

    • geekworking@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      It wouldn’t free them, but it would give them the argument that the law is not enforceable.

      The ruling would get challenged and quickly shot down in a higher court. There’s no way that the government would allow one of their favorite hammers to use against dissidents get gutted.

      • red_rising@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Ya I get that. I mean hypothetically, had they ruled in favor of trump, then people like Edward Snowden could use that ruling in their favor. I just think it would be ironic if trump was responsible for allowing Snowden to return to the US given how much he hates the guy.