The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Thursday unanimously ruled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) may access documents it seized from former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in August without a special master review. The DOJ asked the court to consider whether Judge Aileen Cannon was correct to establish the special master review and block the department from utilising the lawfully seized records in its investigation against Trump. The Eleventh Circuit found that these actions were outside of Cannon’s jurisdiction and power.

The court ruled that, although it is “extraordinary” for a warrant to be executed against a former president, it does not “give the judiciary license to interfere in an ongoing investigation.” The judges argued that courts must adhere to limits on interfering in criminal investigations, and “to create a special exemption would defy the foundational principle that our law applies ‘to all.'”

Trump argued that the special master review process is necessary given that the government’s “Privilege Review Team protocols were inadequate” and violated attorney-client privilege. The former president is being investigated for alleged violations of federal laws, including the Espionage Act.