Appeals court orders judge to dismiss Flynn charges

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered a judge to grant the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) unusual move to drop charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals approved Flynn’s petition to intervene in the case after a district court judge had tapped an outside counsel to argue against the DOJ’s move.

The panel ruled 2-1, with two Republican-appointed judges carrying the majority, that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan overstepped his authority in second-guessing the prosecutors’ decision. Continue reading.