on the 16th local time, the United States Federal Appeals Court approved Special Prosecutor Smith's request to suspend the appeal of the case involving U.S. President-elect Trump's confidential documents. This is part of Smith's gradual end to the two cases against Trump, as the U.S. Department of Justice has long-standing policy of prohibiting criminal prosecution of a sitting president. Since Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election and will assume the presidency in January 2025, Smith said he requested a suspension of the appeal "so that the government has time to assess this unprecedented situation and determine the appropriate path in line with the Department of Justice's policy."