6:56 p.m. ET, September 1, 2022
Here is a breakdown of the key players involved in today's hearing
From CNN's Tierney Sneed and Marshall Cohen
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump arrive at the federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday.
(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
In a hearing in Florida, a federal judge is considering former President Donald Trump's
bid for a special master to review evidence the FBI seized at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month.
Here are the key players who might be in court:
Judge Aileen Cannon: She is
the judge overseeing this case. She was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2020, and was confirmed by the Senate shortly after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. She graduated from University of Michigan Law School and told lawmakers during her confirmation process that her mother fled communist Cuba.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Jr.: The US Attorney for Southern District of Florida, Gonzalez' name is one of two DOJ signatories that have been on all the filings in the submissions in both this case and the effort by various organizations' to unseal certain warrant documents. It's been notable that no lower level prosecutors from his office — the so-called "line attorneys," who usually handle the day-to-day in court — have been signing on to the publicly filed documents.
Jay Bratt: The chief of counterintelligence at the DOJ's National Security Division, Bratt has played a prominent role in the litigation around the Mar-a-Lago filings after being the DOJ's point of contact with the Trump team over obtaining the documents from Mar-a-Lago. His name has joined Gonzalez' in the filings in the dispute over releasing the warrant documents and he also argued on behalf of the DOJ in a hearing last month in the latter case. He has not entered an appearance however in the special warrant case being heard Thursday so it's unclear whether he will be present at the arguments. Bratt was also the DOJ attorney, joined by a handful of FBI agents, who visited Mar-a-Lago on June 3 to retrieve classified documents that had been subpoenaed by a grand jury — an episode that was discussed at length in the DOJ's response.
Christopher Kise: A recent addition to Trump's legal team who entered his appearance in the case just Thursday morning. Kise is a former Florida solicitor general who served in Gov. Ron DeSantis' transition team.
James Trusty: He is one of Trump’s lawyers who has been handling matters related to classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. He is a former federal prosecutor. Trump’s spokesperson has previously touted Trusty’s experience, saying he has “litigated some of the most complex cases in American history.” He has done
interviews in right-wing media, criticizing the FBI investigation and pledging to mount more legal challenges.
Lindsey Halligan: She is another member of Trump’s legal team. She
said on Fox News that the Mar-a-Lago search “may be the first step to tyranny” in America. Early in the case, she
bungled the formal process of entering her appearance in the court docket, and was instructed by the court clerk to refile her paperwork and to comply with local procedures.