US District Judge Aileen Cannon has granted a request by former President Donald Trump's legal team to appoint a special master, who will review the documents that were seized during the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August.
Cannon dismissed protests from the Department of Justice, which argued against appointing the special master and insisted that these documents have already been reviewed by officials. The judge, however, stated that there was no "harm" in double-checking the documents with an outside expert.
"A special master shall be appointed to review the seized property, manage assertions of privilege and make recommendations thereon, and evaluate claims for return of property," Judge Aileen Cannon said in the ruling.
Both sides have several days to come up with candidates for the role of special master.
The search of the Mar-a-Lago estate reportedly led to the FBI seizing a number of classified documents that Trump allegedly kept after leaving the White House. According to US laws, he had to hand over all documents relevant to his work in the Oval Office to the National Archives, including classified ones.
The appointment of a special master may prolong the investigation into why the former president allegedly kept the docs.
Trump and many of his allies lambasted the FBI raid – the first such in the history of former US presidents. The polls showed that the act rallied supporters among Republicans behind Trump as he continues to vaguely hint about attempting a comeback in 2024.