Judge Aileen Cannon held the hearing a day earlier, on Tuesday, in South Florida, sources familiar with the matter told local media.
The measure will allow Trump and his lawyers to examine classified evidence only in a secure location under federal supervision as he prepares for a trial on misuse of classified documents after his term ends and he leaves the White House in January 2021.
The former president, who continues to lead in the polls for the 2024 Republican nomination despite numerous allegations and pending lawsuits, was accused in this case of storing confidential files at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida which he initially refused to deliver.
This is one of the first cases in which the relevant court has decided to restrict classified information, in a context in which the legal team of the former occupant of the Oval Office has tried to downplay the importance of handling the documents.
Previously, special prosecutor Jack Smith called for similar restrictions from former governor (2017-2021) to protect sensitive information used as evidence in the case.
Trump was indicted in June on more than thirty federal charges, including violations of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to investigators, among others, although he pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Now, in a recording broadcast by CNN, he admitted that he had not released “classified information,” contradicting previous opinions about him and his team.
Both the former president and his representative said he declassified most of the national security information he held at the end of his presidency.
However, in the audio recording, Trump could be heard admitting that he had confidential recordings that he was not allowed to share after he left the White House.
The report said the other defendants in the case, his assistant Walt Nauta and his Mar-a-Lago manager Carlos De Oliveira, need additional court authorization to access classified information.
Trump has four cases pending in courts in New York, Washington DC, Georgia and Florida; In Florida, the trial over the secret documents is scheduled for May 2024, six months before the presidential election.
