In a surprising ruling on Monday, a federal judge dismissed the classified documents case brought against former President Donald Trump by special counsel Jack Smith. The ruling, made by Judge Aileen Cannon, stated that Smith's appointment as special counsel overseeing the documents case was unconstitutional as he was not appointed by the president or confirmed by Congress.

The dismissal of the Superseding Indictment came after Judge Cannon found that Smith's appointment violated the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution. Typically, special counsels have previously served as U.S. attorneys, who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. In this case, Smith's appointment was deemed unconstitutional as it undermined the authority of Congress.

The documents case against Trump involved allegations related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House. Prosecutors claimed that he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information and obstructed the government's efforts to obtain them.

Cannon's ruling last month followed arguments from Trump's attorneys, who sought to have the case dismissed on the grounds of Smith's unlawful appointment. In her lengthy order, Cannon emphasized the pivotal role of Congress in appointing constitutional officers and authorizing expenditures by law, stating that this role cannot be usurped by the Executive Branch.

A spokesperson for the special counsel mentioned that they will be appealing the ruling, arguing that previous courts have uniformly concluded that the Attorney General has the statutory authority to appoint a Special Counsel. The Justice Department has authorized the Special Counsel to proceed with the appeal.

According to sources close to Trump, he and his camp see the dismissal as an act of "divine intervention" and are thrilled by the outcome. They expressed hope that the same logic would apply to the D.C. case. Trump, in a social media post, called for the dismissal of all remaining cases against him, emphasizing the need for unity following recent events.

It's important to note that Judge Cannon clarified that her ruling only applies to the classified documents case and does not extend to other jurisdictions. Previous legal challenges have upheld the constitutionality of special counsels in other cases.

If the dismissal is overturned on appeal, it could potentially lead to a motion for Judge Cannon to be removed from the case, considering her pattern of rulings that have been perceived as unusually favorable towards Trump.

Apart from the dismissed documents case, Trump still faces charges in the Jan. 6 election interference case and the Georgia election interference case. In addition, he was found guilty in May of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made during the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all cases and intends to appeal the hush money verdict.