Judge to allow release of Jack Smith's report on Trump election interference case

WASHINGTON — Federal Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday denied a request to extend an injunction banning the Justice Department from releasing a volume of a report former special counsel Jack Smith issued on President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The ruling from U.S. District Court Aileen Cannon means that the Justice Department could release the portion of the Smith report that deals with Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss as soon as midnight, barring future legal action from Trump or his team. She kept in place a prohibition on releasing the portion of the report about the classified document case, which the Justice Department said it didn't intend to release at this point.

The Justice Department still has a pending motion before the 11th Circuit asking to release the portion of the report about Jan. 6 immediately, but the court has yet to rule on that motion.

Smith resigned from his position on Friday, and Attorney General Merrick Garland has told Congress he will release the volume of the report that deals with Trump's 2020 efforts when he is legally allowed to do so. The volume of the report that deals with Trump's handling of classified documents will not be released because two co-defendants are still facing charges.

The long-awaited report into Trump's election interference efforts in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is expected to come out just days before Trump takes the oath of office.

Trump was indicted on four federal felony charges in connection with his attempts to overturn his election loss, but the case was stymied by delay tactics and was ultimately dropped after Trump won the 2024 election. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.

As for the portion of the report about classified documents, Cannon said she would hold a hearing on Friday about whether that section of the report can be shared with select members of Congress.