Week In a Nutshell, 9/9/22

September 9, 2022 | Updated Feb 22 2023

Week In a Nutshell, 9/9/22

Local law enforcement officers are seen in front of the home of former President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

Here are some of the legal news stories making headlines this week:

The Department of Justice will appeal a federal judge’s order granting former President Donald Trump’s request for a special master to review the documents seized during the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search.

District Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling from earlier in the week would grant a special master the authority to review the more than 11,000 documents that the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago on August 8th. The special master would evaluate whether any of the documents should be shielded from the government’s investigation, including those protected under the attorney-client and executive privileges.
In the order, Cannon wrote that she made this decision to “ensure at least the appearance of fairness and integrity under the extraordinary circumstances” of the search of a former president.
Judge Cannon also temporarily blocked the Department of Justice from using the documents in furtherance of its investigation until the special master completes the review, but permitted the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to continue its damage assessment. Joyce Vance and Maya Wiley discussed the implications of the order on this week’s episode of CAFE Insider.

There are new developments from the January 6th Committee.

The Committee is looking to interview former House Speaker Newt Gingrich about his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the days leading up to January 6th, as well as after the Capitol was breached. In a letter to Gingrich, Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson detailed some of Gingrich’s conduct. “On the evening of January 6th, you continued to push efforts to overturn the election results… Accordingly, you appear to have been involved with President Trump’s efforts to stop the certification of the election results, even after the attack on the Capitol,” Thompson wrote.
Committee members have signaled that they hope to interview former Vice President Mike Pence. “I think he has a lot of relevant evidence, and I would hope he would come forward and testify about what happened,” said Committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin. Last month, Pence stated that he “would consider” speaking to the Committee if he received an invitation to do so.
Raskin also expressed interest in speaking with Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. “I would say she has relevant testimony to render. And she should come forward and give it,” Raskin said. Thomas has recently come under scrutiny for her role in pressuring state officials to overturn the results of the 2020 election.