Trump requested the pause ahead of a Friday deadline for the documents from his White House tenure to be given to the January 6 committee
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit set oral arguments for a hearing on November 30. Judges Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins, both Obama appointees, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden appointee, sat on the appellate panel considering Trump’s request.
“The purpose of this administrative injunction is to protect the court’s jurisdiction to address appellant’s claims of executive privilege and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits,” the panel wrote in a brief two-page order.
In total, more than 700 documents from Trump’s presidency had been expected to be turned over by the National Archives to the committee in the coming weeks.
“In this appeal, the Court will consider novel and important constitutional issues of first impression concerning separation of powers, presidential records, and executive privilege,” Trump’s attorneys wrote Thursday.
On Wednesday, the House committee wrote that it needs the Trump White House records quickly so it can continue investigating the attack on Congress.
“The potential harm to the public is immense: Our democratic institutions and a core feature of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of power — are at stake,” the committee wrote. It added that a delay will hinder its ability to “timely complete a comprehensive investigation and recommend effective remedial legislation.”
This story has been updated with additional developments Thursday.
CNN’s Chandelis Duster and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
