How the federal criminal cases against Trump ended up in legal limbo as the election looms

Trump-appointed judge dismisses case on grounds that special counsel who brought it was unlawfully put in the job.

Separate criminal case accusing Trump of conspiring to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election seemed an opportunity for a trial this year .

But the Supreme Court erased that possibility with an opinion that granted former presidents expansive immunity from prosecution.

If Trump loses to Democrat Kamala Harris , he is at risk of trial and possible conviction in classified documents case.

If Trump loses the election, prosecutors would be able to resurrect compelling evidence accrued during the investigation.

Trump has maintained he did nothing wrong by retaining records from his presidency.

FBI recovered 11 sets of classified documents during a search of Mar-a-Lago , an action that followed disagreements between FBI and Justice Department officials.

The investigation into the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — which has become the largest in Justice Department history — had consumed agents and prosecutors by the time Garland was sworn in as attorney general.

Trump ’s lawyers demanded the case be dismissed, arguing he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution.

The case was put on hold to give Trump time to appeal to the federal appeals court and ultimately the Supreme Court .