Fort Pierce, Florida - The judge who oversaw President-elect Donald Trump's classified documents trial has temporarily blocked prosecutors from releasing their final report on the case.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, US District Judge Aileen Cannon "temporarily enjoined" Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the case, and Attorney General Merrick Garland from sharing the report with anyone outside the Justice Department until a federal appeals court in Atlanta reviews the matter.

Judge Cannon added her decision was "to preserve the status quo" until the higher court's review, and said her order will stay in effect for three days after their ruling.

The case involved accusations that Trump and two of his former employees – Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira – mishandled classified documents he took from the White House after losing the 2020 election.

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Throughout the case, Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020, repeatedly made rulings that many critics argued appeared favorable to the incoming president. In July 2024, she dismissed the case entirely, arguing that the special counsel was wrongfully appointed.

Smith is required by Justice Department rules to release a report on both the classified documents prosecution and the case he led against Trump over the Republican's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

In a recent court filling, Smith said he would submit his reports to Garland on Tuesday, and that the attorney general should come to a decision whether to release them to the public by Friday.