WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has temporarily blocked Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report until an appeals court acts on a request from Donald Trump's co-defendants in the criminal case accusing the president-elect of illegally handling classified documents, a court order showed on Tuesday.

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it will release special counsel Jack Smith’s findings on Donald Trump’s efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election but will keep under wraps for now the rest of the record focused on the president-elect’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Judge Cannon previously ruled that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed, a stunning reversal for the prosecutor and Attorney General Garland.