August 11, 2023 11:21am EDT
Judge delivers mixed ruling on Trump protective order in 2020 election case
Judge in Trump election cases says only 'sensitive' material covered under protective order, then agrees with prosecution's definition of sensitive
By Chris Pandolfo , Jake Gibson | Fox NewsThe federal judge assigned to former President Donald Trump's 2020 election case has largely sided with Trump's defense attorneys on a protective order over evidence, but handed prosecutors a win by broadening which material is considered "sensitive" and should be protected.
Trump's lawyers returned to federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday morning for their first hearing before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing special counsel Jack Smith's 2020 election meddling case against Trump.
Chutkan heard arguments about the restrictions on evidence in the case. In court filings, prosecutors had argued for broad rules baring Trump's lawyers from sharing "sensitive" materials with the former president, including witness testimony to the grand jury and recordings and transcripts of Trump associates who spoke to prosecutors. Trump's attorneys countered that the government's request was too broad and infringed on Trump's First Amendment rights.
In a "close" decision, Chutkan said she was not persuaded that the government has shown all information gathered in the case would fall under the protective order. She ruled that only information designated as "sensitive" should be protected — however, she agreed with the prosecution that witness interviews and transcripts collected during the grand jury's investigation should be considered "sensitive."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-sides-trump-protective-order-2020-election-case
