Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith are seen in a combination of file photos in Washington, U.S., in 2023. REUTERS/Tasos Katopodis, Kevin Wurm/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. special counsel investigating Donald Trump obtained a search warrant for the former president's Twitter account in January and the company delayed complying, according to a U.S. appeals court opinion on Wednesday. The ruling said that Twitter had raised First Amendment concerns about a nondisclosure order issued over the warrant, as the company wanted to notify Trump about it. Prosecutors will often ask judges that targets of subpoenas issued in criminal probes not be notified in order to protect their investigations, a practice the appeals court cited in Wednesday's ruling. Reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen and Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Tasos Katopodis, Kevin Wurm, Trump, Smith, Democrat Joe Biden, Jacqueline Thomsen, Kanishka Singh, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Twitter, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Trump, Department, Prosecutors, Capitol, Republican Trump, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington