Former US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo / AP
The US Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge's appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate.
The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of
the arbiter, also known as a special master.
He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the August 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege.
The special master process has caused some delays to the Justice Department's investigation into the storage of top-secret documents at the home.
But a major hurdle was cleared last month when the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted a temporary bar on the department's ability to use the seized classified documents as part of its criminal probe.
