The Facts

• Federal US Judge Aileen Cannon ruled Monday that the Justice Department's (DOJ) appointment of Jack Smith as a special prosecutor to probe former Pres. Donald Trump's classified documents case was "unlawful."

• Cannon ruled that the appointment of Smith violated the Constitution's "Appointments Clause," which states that "Ambassadors," "Ministers and Consuls," "Judges of the Supreme Court," and "all other Officers of the United States" must be confirmed by the Senate, which Smith was not.Cannon ruled that Smith's appointment violated the Constitution's "Appointments Clause," which requires the appointments of "Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States" to be confirmed by the Senate.

• Her ruling also rejected the indefinite funding of the special counsel's prosecution, which Cannon ruled violates the Appropriations Clause of the Constitution.She added that none of "the statutes cited by the Special Counsel" gives the AG "authority to appoint a Special Counsel like Smith, who does not assist a United States Attorney but who replaces the role of United States Attorney within his jurisdiction."