NEW: Judge Aileen Cannon permanently forbids the Department of Justice from releasing Volume II of Jack Smith's report

[In It to Win It]

NEW: Judge Aileen Cannon permanently forbids the Department of Justice from releasing Volume II of Jack Smith's report on his prosecution of Trump. Also bars DOJ from sharing "any information or conclusions" from the volume. A sweeping, perpetual gag order. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjsdc.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T14:15:37.265Z

Cannon scathingly suggests that Jack Smith violated her order dismissing the criminal case against Trump when he continued to prepare his report on the prosecution from transmission to DOJ. Calls it a "brazen stratagem" meant to "circumvent" her authority. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjsdc.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T14:18:54.315Z

Cannon repeatedly says that Trump's request to permanently bury the second volume of Smith's report is "unopposed" because, of course, Trump's Justice Department agreed.

But free press groups opposed it! Cannon just denied their request to intervene. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjsdc.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T14:27:54.521Z

Judge Cannon has just denied @knightcolumbia.org & @weareoversight.bsky.social motions to intervene and permanently barred DOJ from disclosing Jack Smith's report. She says (again) that Smith was appointed unconstitutionally, and that the report is the fruit of the unconstitutional appointment.

— Jameel Jaffer (@jameeljaffer.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T14:31:33.068Z

Here's the order permanently prohibiting DOJ from disclosing the report. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Jameel Jaffer (@jameeljaffer.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T14:32:36.803Z

NEW: Cannon accused Smith of "brazen" defiance by continuing to compile the classified documents report even after she ruled his appointment unconstitutional. It will remain secret unless an appeals court overturns the decision.

w/ @joshgerstein

www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T14:44:34.456Z

[OLDMDDEM]

1. Can't this ruling be appealed? Judge Cannon is a Trump lackee and, I believe, would have her decision overturned

by the appeals court.

[Raven123]

7. I believe so

This ruling had been anticipated and that question was brought up and discussed. Ut darned if I can remember where I heard or read it

[UTUSN]

14. 11th Circuit has pending appeal on public release ... "not immediately clear" what CANNON's order will mean

***********QUOTE********

https://news.bgov.com/us-law-week/trump-notches-new-win-to-keep-classified-documents-case-secret

Trump Notches New Win to Keep Classified Documents Case Secret

.... Cannon, a Trump appointee to the bench, previously ruled in favor of the president to keep the report secret. But the 11th Circuit US Court of Appeals has agreed to hear arguments from two public-interest advocacy groups that want the report made public.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Cannon’s new order will mean for the pending appeal. She also issued a separate order Monday denying a request the groups made asking her not to rule on whether to keep the report secret while the appeal was pending.

One of Trump’s personal aides and a property manager at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, also were indicted for obstruction of justice. Trump and his former co-defendants have argued the report shouldn’t be released because it contains privileged information. ....

********UNQUOTE*****

[Bluetus]

18. She may have pissed off the 11th circuit AGAIN

by how she handled this, especially refusing to hear arguments from public interest groups.

They have slapped her down before. Who knows if they are Jonesing for a chance to do that again? I mean, at some point, this woman is a true embarrassment to their profession. And I am not sure any of them are all that interested in protecting Trump at this point. I mean, they all saw what the SCOTUS did to him last week.

[UTUSN]

23. NY Times: "unlikely to be the last word" and "rejected" destruction of all copies of Vol. II

*******QUOTE********

https://archive.is/20260223161729/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/us/politics/trump-jack-smith-classified-documents-aileen-cannon.html

Judge Bars Release of Special Counsel Report on Trump’s Mishandling of Documents
Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge in Florida, slammed the former special counsel, Jack Smith, for drafting the report even after she had dismissed the case.

.... The order on Monday made that preliminary ruling permanent — though it is unlikely to be the last word on the matter. Two watchdog groups, American Oversight and the Knight First Amendment Institute, have been trying for months to force the release of Mr. Smith’s report, filing a series of requests to the federal appeals court that sits over Judge Cannon. ....

While the judge granted Mr. Trump’s request, she rejected the effort to have all remaining copies of Volume II destroyed. In an unusual, but perhaps unsurprising, move, the Justice Department weighed in on the issue last month, agreeing with Mr. Trump and telling Judge Cannon that the report should remain sealed. ....

*******UNQUOTE********

[Blue Owl]

2. "Judge" Cannon is a disgrace to the American judicial system

It couldn't be any clearer that she is abusing her position simply to shield tRump's fat ass from criminal prosecutions for crimes he committed in broad fucking daylight.

SHAME, JUDGE CANNON.... SHAME!!!

[samsingh]

32. a criminal lackey with the power of a judge

[thomski64]

38. ..just leak it!!!

[Akakoji]

43. Like, uh, Th Supreme Court?

I can't imagine what they bought Kavanaugh out of. Must have cost millions.

[LSparkle]

41. She's a disgrace to her profession and family

[Botany]

3. Cannon's #1 job is to protect Trump. That is why she was picked by the Federalist Society to be on the bench

https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-part-ii-seven-judges-direct

Your Seat Awaits, Judge Cannon

Just seven days after Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, the Senate rammed through Judge Aileen Cannon—a Federalist Society loyalist—to the federal bench, again via the nuclear option. The seat? It would later oversee Trump’s classified documents case.

Think about that. Before he even walked out of the White House with stolen materials and a failed insurrection attempt, Donald Trump had already secured the judge who would protect him. He wasn't just breaking the law—he was fortifying his legal escape route in advance, with an assist from Senate Republicans.

By mid-2022, Judge Cannon was the only active judge in Florida’s Fort Pierce division. Trump’s legal team took full advantage, filing his case in person—in violation of standard protocol—which all but guaranteed it would land on her desk. That week, Cannon was assigned 9 of 29 new cases—over 30%, nearly triple the norm. Despite calls for recusal, she refused. She stayed. And she stalled.

https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-part-ii-seven-judges-direct

[enough]

27. Her #1 job is becoming a SCOTUS Justice.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

4. They dont call her loose cannon for nothing

Jeez itś like this lady got her law license in a cracker jack box!

[thomski64]

40. ..from Costco..

..Idiocracy is a documentary..

[Initech]

5. Cannon is compromised. Time to find out who and where.

And this dangerous lunatic must be fired and removed immediately. My money points to Russia and/or Murdoch.

[Duncan Grant]

47. Great minds think alike.

Clearly, she was cultivated for this role and serves as a mechanism to enable corruption. People would recognize the reality of Judge Cannon if she began wearing a mask to hide her face. Judicial thuggery and abuse of power — every bit as corrupt as a private police force.

[Initech]

49. Another crime to add to the impeachment charges!

[Baitball Blogger]

6. She was always Trump's political lackey, using her "inexperience" to create obstacles

No one has been able to challenge her to stop her, so why shouldn't she go all the way to protect Trump?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Deadline Legal Blog-Judge Cannon blocks release of Jack Smith's classified documents report

The Trump appointee had previously dismissed the criminal case against Trump on the grounds that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed.

BREAKING: Judge Cannon blocks release of Jack Smith’s classified documents report

READ MORE: www.ms.now/deadline-whi...

— MS NOW (@ms.now) 2026-02-23T15:04:19.584Z

https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/judge-cannon-blocks-release-of-jack-smiths-classified-documents-report

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted a request from President Donald Trump and his former co-defendants to block the release of Jack Smith’s report on the classified documents case he brought against Trump.

Cannon had dismissed the case in 2024 when Trump was running for president. The Justice Department was appealing her order, but dropped the appeal when he won the election, due to the DOJ’s policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.

Explaining her reasoning on Monday, the Trump-appointed judge wrote, in part, that “there is the matter of manifest injustice to the former defendants that would result from disclosure of Volume II. Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges.”....

Cannon rejected a defense request to order the report’s destruction.

The 11th Circuit has reversed this idiot judge several times. I am looking forward to seeing this idiot reversed yet again

[MustLoveBeagles]

9. This hack needs to be removed from the bench

She doesn't even try to hide her bias.

[Mysterian]

10. Good thing this soon-to-be-disbarred "judge" isn't Queen of the World

Her legal opinions have been laughed out of appeals courts.

[Goonch]

11. ;-{)....

[ffr]

45. Fox in the hen house.

No guardrails left, folks.

[Goonch]

48. ;-{).....

[hlthe2b]

12. "Permanently"... well there are two appeals and others sure to come so we shall see.

[Junipercity]

20. This is total BS

Somebody needs to "misplace" a copy in some DC bus depot bathroom.

[Ponietz]

13. No country for old men, young men, women children, or dogs until the rule of law and judicial integrity are restored

[dalton99a]

15. Despicable Trump trash

Cannon’s order, however, blocking the release also applies to Bondi’s successors at the Justice Department. Cannon, who in 2024 dismissed the case after concluding that Smith was unlawfully appointed after multiple other favorable rulings for Trump, said the release of the report would present a “manifest injustice” to the president and his two co-defendants.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-jack-smith-3a86d9c12f18b4dfe648e539925d72a2

[meadowlander]

16. We paid for that report. F her. Redact anything classified and lets be having it.

[rampartd]

51. nothing is classified if trump declassified it "with his mind"

we must assume that everything in there has already been compromised, and that every enemy who wants to know any secret just sends a check to kushner.

[Junipercity]

17. Well i'll be a sonofabitch

Completely expected.
Beyond outrageous.
Not remotely legal.

However they're has been a buzz that they had already destroyed it. I don't remember if there had been some sort of injunction to preserve the report.

I can also be fairly certain that copies exist, as well as Smiths process documents.

It is only the fear of prosecution that is preventing someone from coming forward.

Remember how they got around that with the Pentagon Papers?

[MLWR]

19. I-lean needs to be impeached and removed. Permanently.

[oasis]

21. Corrupt to the bone.Cannon has chiseled her place

amongst the true villains of the judiciary.

[Just Jerome]

22. "Her authority" insofar as...

what? Judging a pie baking contest at the county fair?

[returnee]

52. She's a legal pipsqueak.

Returnee predicts this will not stand.

[LilElf70]

24. This is insane

Isn't she breaking the law here? Who stops something like this? Unless there is corruption and she is trying to hide something. Something surely is not kosher here. I don't believe favoritism is legal in a court of law. I certainly hope an appeal is coming soon, and she is disbarred.

[perdita9]

25. Way to destroy all faith in the Judiciary, Aileen

If whoever oversees her doesn’t overrule this it will be clear that the courts are corrupt and not to be trusted

[SergeStorms]

35. The Supreme Court......

has done enough of that themselves. She's the junior varsity, but she's definitely caught the eye of the varsity coach! 😉

[Hassler]

26. The Cannon Cover-up continues...

[Kid Berwyn]

28. Co-conspirator in Treason

She is actively helping a traitor escape justice.

[Americanme]

29. This really pisses me off.

Smith said he knew WHY dipshit stole the classified documents. Makes me think he discovered who dipshit sold them to, or shared them with. It's in that report. We have a right to know.

[jmowreader]

30. Release it anyway

1. On //date// the Supreme Court of the United States declared President Donald Trump’s tariff regime unconstitutional. The grounds for this decision revolve around the Constitutional provision that taxation be initiated in the House of Representatives; President Trump created the tariff regime without Congressional input.

2. President Trump’s response was twofold. He first allowed the unconstitutional tariff regime to remain in place. He then created even more unconstitutional tariffs.

3. The president of the United States is not a king nor is he above the law. His actions have demonstrated that he feels the rule of law is dead.

4. Since President Trump has decided you can do whatever the fuck you want without repercussions, the Office of the Special Prosecutor has ruled they can do the same thing.

[bigtree]

31. it's been this play acting all along as if her rulings actually carry the weight of settled law

...advantaged by the manuevering she's done to avoid ultimate judgments on her obstruction of justice.

She'll be shut down on appeal by the very same court that's blocked her obstruction on behalf of Trump before.

[SergeStorms]

33. Our next Supreme Court Justice.

After the rumored Thomas or Alito retirement, she'll be appointed.

She's the best stenographer the Heritage Foundation has ever found.

[turbinetree]

34. Hey Cannon you keep one important item out ...............that is taxpayer dollars...................and we the taxpayer

have every right to know what is in those files.......and maybe the public and congress can revisit your sitting on the bench..........just a thought...........

[Kingofalldems]

36. Guaranteed she communicates with Trump.

[maxsolomon]

37. Thus securing her nomination to replace Alito in 2028.

The GOP and Federalist Society certainly won the Federal Judiciary fight.

[CaptainTruth]

39. Overturn it.

I'm tired of this crap.

Stock up on pitchforks & torches folks.

[ToxMarz]

42. I wonder who was behind the preparation of that order

as stupid as it is, it's WAAAYYY above her legal ability.

[ffr]

44. Is there any greater admission of guilt that a corrupt judge taking such action? NO WAY!

She just verified through negative confirmation that Trump did all those things Jack Smith's case said he did.

Trump is guilty as FOOK!!!

[kacekwl]

46. Hopefully lawyers have

already filed lawsuits against this. Supreme Court here we come. Cannon should be disbarred and imprisoned.

[JoseBalow]

50. She is a co-conspirator... The fix is in

[live love laugh]

53. Coached and coordinated with Trumps attorneys hired with taxpayer dollars no doubt.