High Court Rejects Trump Plea It Intervene in Mar-a-Lago Docs Case

October 13, 2022 by Dan McCue
High Court Rejects Trump Plea It Intervene in Mar-a-Lago Docs Case
An anti-Trump protestor outside the U.S. Supreme Court building. (Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court handed former President Donald Trump a loss on Thursday, rejecting his request that a special master be allowed to review classified documents seized at Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, home.

As is their custom, the justices did not explain the rationale behind their decision in the brief, unsigned order. 

Trump’s legal team had filed his request with Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles requests for emergency appeals from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Thomas, in turn, referred the matter to the full court.

No dissents were noted in the order, despite the fact Trump nominated three of the current justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the highest court in the land.

Trump’s request to the high court followed a Sept. 21 decision by the 11th Circuit that barred the special master, federal Judge Raymond Dearie, from reviewing the documents. 

Those documents represented just a fraction of the voluminous records seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in August.

Trump’s petition had requested only a relatively narrow ruling, that the special master be allowed to review the classified papers before the Justice Department could do so.

Trump had not contested the separate part of that ruling allowing the Justice Department to use the documents.

As a result, the Justice Department will be able to continue to use the same documents as part of its criminal investigation. 

The more than 100 documents marked as classified are just a small portion of the 11,000 records seized by federal agents in August amid concerns that Trump had unlawfully retained official White House records after leaving office.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Donald Trump
  • special master
  • Supreme Court
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Supreme Court

    July 14, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Green-Lights Dismantling of Education Department

    WASHINGTON — In a major victory for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the White House... Read More

    WASHINGTON — In a major victory for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the White House can move forward with plans to lay off nearly 1,400 employees at the Department of Education. As is their custom in dispensing with emergency orders, the... Read More

    July 8, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Lifts Stay on Trump Effort to Slash Federal Workforce

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a lower court’s order that had prevented the Trump administration from moving... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a lower court’s order that had prevented the Trump administration from moving forward with planned mass layoffs and the dismantling of a number of federal agencies. In its unsigned ruling, the court said an executive order signed by... Read More

    July 3, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court to Decide Liability of Transit Agencies After Accidents

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to determine whether New Jersey Transit is immune from liability as a state... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to determine whether New Jersey Transit is immune from liability as a state agency. The public transit agency was sued by two men who were hit and injured by commuter buses in separate accidents. In one case of a... Read More

    July 3, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Justices to Take Up Two Transgender Athlete Cases Next Term

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of state laws that... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of state laws that bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams. The two cases come to the court from Idaho and West Virginia. Just last month, a sharply... Read More

    July 1, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court to Review $1B Cox Digital Copyright Case

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide a copyright dispute between Cox Communications and major music labels... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide a copyright dispute between Cox Communications and major music labels that could set the stage for a landmark decision on copyright infringement liability in the digital era. The case is Cox Communications, Inc., et al. v.... Read More

    July 1, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Agrees to Rehear Case Seeking End to Campaign Finance Limits

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a lawsuit during its next term that seeks to end some... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a lawsuit during its next term that seeks to end some restrictions on campaign spending by political parties. The limits were imposed during the Nixon administration to prevent political parties from coordinating efforts with candidates on how... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top