A report into Donald Trump's actions during the 2021 Capitol riots can be released, a US judge has ruled. (Reuters: Seth Wenig/Pool/File)
In short:
A US judge has ruled the Justice Department can release a special report into Donald Trump's possible interference in the 2020 US election.
The document has been the subject of a long court dispute, and the ruling comes just days before Trump's inauguration as US president for the second time.
What's next?
The ruling is likely to be challenged in court which would further delay the report's release.
The US Justice Department can publicly release special counsel Jack Smith's investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case, a federal judge says.
The ruling on Monday is the latest in a court dispute over the highly anticipated document days before Trump is set to reclaim the White House.
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Photo shows Donald Trump appearing via videolink in a court room trial, next to his attorney.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump at the end of his first term, had previously blocked the Justice Department from releasing the entire report.
She declined for now, however, a request by the Justice Department to allow congressional leadership to be permitted to review the second part of Mr Smith's report pertaining to Trump's retention of classified documents and scheduled an emergency hearing on Friday to hear arguments on the matter.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in both cases.
But a temporary injunction barring the immediate release of the report remains in effect until Tuesday, and it's unlikely US District Judge Aileen Cannon's order will be the last word on the matter, as defence lawyers may challenge it.
Special counsel Jack Smith resigned on January 10 ahead of Trump's inauguration. (AP: J Scott Applewhite)
Attorney General Merrick Garland previously said that he intended to publicly release the first part of Mr Smith's report on Trump's 2020 election subversion to the public, but that he would refrain from publicly releasing the portion on the classified documents case due to the ongoing criminal proceedings against Trump's associates Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.
Mr Smith formally resigned his position as special counsel on January 10.
A former war crimes prosecutor, Mr Smith brought two of the four criminal cases Trump faced after leaving office, but saw them grind to a halt after Judge Cannon dismissed the classified documents case and the US Supreme Court — with three justices appointed by Trump — ruled that former presidents have sweeping immunity from prosecution for official acts.
Neither case went to trial, and the Justice Department has since dropped the cases against Trump, citing longstanding Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that it was "time for Joe Biden and Merrick Garland to do the right thing and put a final stop to the political weaponisation of our justice system."
Monday's ruling, if it stands, could open the door for the public to learn additional details in the coming days about Trump's frantic but ultimately failed effort to cling to power in the run-up to the deadly January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.
Reuters/AP
