 A federal judge in Florida dismissed the classified documents case against former President Trump on Monday, siding with defense attorneys, who said the special counsel who filed the charges was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Hours later, special counsel Jack Smith's office said it would appeal the order, which could result in eventually being overturned by a higher court. But for now at least, the dismissal by District Judge Eileen Cannon brings a stunning and abrupt halt to a criminal case that at the time it was filed was widely regarded as the most perilous of all the legal threats the Republican former president confronted.