On Tuesday, a U.S. appeals court dismissed an attempt to reinstate the criminal case against Donald Trump, which involved allegations of illegally holding onto classified documents. This decision was influenced by prosecutors' choice to abandon the appeal related to the charges against the former president, which means he now faces no federal criminal cases as he prepares to resume his role as president on January 20.

Additionally, a federal judge had previously dismissed a different case that accused Trump of trying to reverse the results of the 2020 election. The Special Counsel overseeing these prosecutions, Jack Smith, cited a longstanding Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president, leading to the conclusion that the cases should be closed.

Earlier, a federal judge from Florida had determined that Smith's appointment as special counsel was improper, resulting in the dismissal of the classified documents case. However, it was indicated that the prosecution would appeal this decision concerning two of Trump's associates, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to obstruct the investigation, just as Trump has denied any wrongdoing across all cases.