A federal appeals court paved the way Thursday for special counsel Jack Smith to release a final report on President-elect Trump's two dismissed federal criminal cases. The big picture: Trump and two of his former co-defendants have fought the release of the report on his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and handling of classified documents.

Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report on his investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election could soon be released, as a federal appeals court on Thursday greenlit its release—though Trump could still try to take the issue to the Supreme Court, and a second volume of Smith's report will stay under wraps.