Both former President Trump and the Department of Justice proposed four individuals who could serve as the special master in the review of the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago by the FBI in August.
The big picture: With their candidates, Trump and the DOJ have staked out different positions on the scope of the special master's potential review.
Details: Trump and the DOJ each proposed two candidates for the position after Judge Aileen Cannon's ruling this week.
- Trump's team wants the special master to consider all the classified documents and keep executive privilege in mind when conducting their review, the Washington Post reports.
- The DOJ said the special master should not review all the 100-plus classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, per the Washington Post.
- The DOJ doesn't want the special master's review to consider if documents should be covered by executive privilege because that "cannot be claimed by a former president — or from one part of the executive branch to another," according to WaPo.
The DOJ's special master candidates
Barbara S. Jones — a retired judge who was nominated by former President Clinton.
- Jones previously served in the Southern District of New York, per NPR.
- She previously worked on similar special master cases for Trump allies Michael Cohen in 2017 and Rudy Giuliani in 2021, according to the New York Times.
- Jones currently works at Bracewell LLP, where she focuses on investigations and mediations.
Thomas B. Griffith — a retired appeals judge who was nominated by former President George W. Bush.
- He previously worked in the federal district court in Washington, D.C., according to NPR.
- Griffith currently works at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.
- He authored opinions on administrative and congressional investigation cases.
Trump's special master candidates
Raymond J. Dearie — a former federal judge picked by former President Reagan.
- He once served as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, per NYT.
- Dearie previously served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Paul Huck Jr. — former general counsel to then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. He served as Florida's deputy attorney journey.
What's next: Both sides will respond to either candidate Monday, per NBC News.
Go deeper: DOJ and Trump's legal team submit special master proposals
