On February 24, the Knight Institute filed a motion to intervene in the classified documents criminal case against President Trump and his associates in the Southern District of Florida, asking the court to take two actions. First, the motion asks Judge Aileen Cannon to lift an injunction preventing public release of Volume II of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report. The injunction is blocking a Freedom of Information Act request that the Knight Institute filed with the Department of Justice on January 26, 2025 seeking Volume II.

Second, the motion asks the court to order the public release of Volume II under the First Amendment and the common law, which provide the public with presumptive rights of access to judicial documents. The motion argues that the presumptions in favor of access cannot be overcome, because Volume II would inform the public about the character and actions of the nation’s highest official, about one of the most significant criminal investigations in American history, and about the Justice Department’s interpretation of the Espionage Act, a statute with broad implications for free speech.

Status: Motion filed on February 24, 2025.

Case Information: United States of America v. Trump, 9:23-cr-80101-AMC (S.D.Fl.).