Judge Raymond Dearie Appointed Special Master to Examine Documents Seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Property
Raymond Dearie, a federal judge based in Brooklyn, was selected Thursday to serve as a special master to review White House materials from the administration of former President Donald Trump that were seized in the FBI’s search at Mar-a-Lago, the Trump’s residence in Florida.
Federal Judge Raymond Dearie was among those put forward as possible candidates for the role of special teacher by lawyers for Donald Trump, who had sued in court to get the review. The Justice Department also backed Dearie’s appointment.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon gave the special teacher a November 30 deadline to finish her review of potentially privileged documents. The timeline states that the review ends after the midterm legislative elections, essentially guaranteeing that the Mar-a-Lago investigation will proceed slowly for the next two months, unless a higher court intervenes.
Cannon also rejected the Justice Department’s offer to revive its criminal investigation into classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago last month.
Judge Cannon’s denial sets the stage for the Justice Department’s dispute with Trump over the FBI’s search to quickly move to an appeals court and possibly the US Supreme Court.
A special teacher is a person appointed by a judge to help the court with its proceedings. A special master is selected to help with a particular issue or case, in contrast to a permanent master, who is installed to assist on an ongoing basis. Teachers can conduct proceedings and then make reports and recommendations, which judges can accept or reject.
Judge Cannon said the special master’s role in this case would be to “review seized property, administer and make recommendations on claims of privilege, and assess claims for return of property.”