Appeals court questions Trump challenge to Presidential Records Act

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit appeared skeptical on Friday of the Trump administration's claims regarding presidential record ownership. UPI, the New York Times, and Politico all reported that the court questioned government lawyers during arguments over whether the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional. [1][2][3][4]

The legal challenge involves government lawyers seeking to strike down the federal law. According to UPI, the Presidential Records Act was enacted in 1978 following the Watergate scandal and mandates that presidential records are government property that must be handed over to the National Archives. [1]

The New York Times reported that the panel appeared unconvinced by the Justice Department's claim that a president is not required to preserve and hand over presidential papers under the law. American Oversight, along with historians, attended the appeals court hearing to defend an order blocking attempts to evade the statute. [2][3][6]