A federal judge in Florida on Saturday signaled that she would be willing to grant former President Trump's request for the appointment of a "special master" to review the evidence seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago.
Driving the news: Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking the appointment of a special master to review the materials seized from his Mar-a-Lago home and bar the FBI from examining the seized documents until the special master is appointed.
- A special master, usually a third party like a retired judge, would review the material and determine whether it is protected by attorney-client privilege or other legal doctrines.
The big picture: In a court filing Saturday, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, provided notice of her "preliminary intent to appoint a special master in this case."
- Cannon said a hearing on the appointment of a special master would be held on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Florida.
- In advance of the hearing, Cannon set a Tuesday deadline for the Department of Justice to file a public response to Trump's request as well as file under seal a more detailed list of the materials seized from Mar-a-Lago and the status of the review of the materials.
- Trump's reply to the DOJ would then be due by 8pm Wednesday.
- Cannon concluded the order by emphasizing that it "should not be construed as a final determination" on the matter.
