Former president Donald Trump on the campaign trail. (Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images) By Andrew Goudsward and Andy Sullivan
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida came just hours after a hearing in which his lawyers argued that the central charge in the case is improperly vague.
Cannon, who was appointed to her post by Trump, ruled that question "warrants serious consideration" but should not be decided at this point.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 40-count indictment that accuses him of illegally taking sensitive government documents with him when he left the White House in 2021.
It is one of four criminal cases he faces as he tries to win back the White House in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward in Fort Pierce, Florida, and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone, Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis)