A federal judge in Florida has denied former President Donald Trump's motion to dismiss the classified documents indictment against him, ruling that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) does not shield Trump from charges of unlawfully retaining national defense information. The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, rejected Trump's argument that the 1978 recordkeeping law allowed him to designate records from his time in office as personal property and take them with him when he left the White House.

The indictment against Trump includes 40 charges, with 32 alleged violations of the Espionage Act for mishandling national defense information. Prosecutors have accused Trump of illegally retaining over 300 sensitive government records, of which he allegedly kept 32. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Judge Cannon's ruling comes after both Trump and the special counsel, Jack Smith, were asked to provide hypothetical jury instructions regarding the PRA and how it may affect the case. Prosecutors warned that including the PRA in jury instructions could distort the trial, while Trump argued that he was authorized to access the classified records during his presidency.

The judge has not yet set a trial date for the case, in which Trump is also charged with obstructing the federal probe along with two of his aides, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, who have also pleaded not guilty. The ruling by Judge Cannon is seen as a victory for the special counsel, who has consistently argued that the PRA should not impact the criminal prosecution of a former president accused of mishandling classified documents.