Key Takeaways:

• A federal judge, Aileen Cannon, has cleared the way for the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation report into President-elect Donald Trump's actions regarding the 2020 election.
• The release of a volume detailing Trump’s alleged election interference could happen as early as Tuesday, pending a temporary injunction that is set to expire.
• While the election-related volume is set for public release, the volume concerning Trump's handling of classified documents remains under wraps amid ongoing legal proceedings regarding his co-defendants.
• Trump's legal team is expected to continue pursuing legal avenues to prevent the release of the report, raising questions about its potential implications.

The Justice Department has received the green light to publicly release the investigative report headed by Special Counsel Jack Smith regarding President-elect Donald Trump's alleged attempts to interfere with the 2020 election. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a pivotal ruling on Monday that denied a last-minute request from Trump's legal team to block the report ahead of his inauguration scheduled for January 20.

Cannon's ruling indicates that the public can expect to see significant information about Trump's frantic bid to maintain power, especially in the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. While the release of the volume focusing on election interference is imminent, a subsequent volume related to Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents remains disputed in court, with a hearing scheduled for Friday to determine whether that portion can be made available to lawmakers.

Smith, who resigned from his role in the Justice Department after submitting his report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, filed the report as part of federal investigations stemming from the aftermath of the 2020 election. During her decision, Cannon expressed that while she would allow the release of the report on the election case, the volume related to classified documents can't be shared publicly due to ongoing legal proceedings involving Trump's co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.

Trump's legal team argued that the report's public dissemination might interfere with the president-elect's transition to the White House, claiming that the allegations within constitute a politically motivated attack. However, the judge ruled that there was insufficient basis for granting emergency relief from the DOJ's obligation to make the election volume public. Cannon noted, “All parties agree that Volume II expressly and directly concerns this criminal proceeding,” signifying a consensus on the sensitivity of the classified documents case, which poses a risk to the defendants' fair trial rights.

As the critical legal battle continues, both sides appear poised for what could unfold as a lengthy and turbulent series of court proceedings in the evolving landscape surrounding Trump's presidency and accountability for his actions.