Trump Judge’s Ruling on Special Counsel Veers From Recent Cases

A US judge broke fresh legal ground by dismissing a criminal case accusing Donald Trump of mishandling classified documents, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed.

By concluding Attorney General Merrick Garland lacked authority to appoint Smith or fund his work, US District Judge Aileen Cannon veered Monday from decades of legal tradition upholding the work of special prosecutors in high-profile criminal cases.

With her stunning rebuke, Cannon handed the former president another major legal victory just two weeks after the US Supreme Court said presidents are at least partially immune from prosecution for official acts.

The dismissal ...