The federal judge presiding over the case in which former President Donald J. Trump is charged with illegally retaining numerous classified documents has scheduled the trial for May 2024.
Cannon's Decision On Trump Trial Date: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision Friday represents a compromise between the government's plea to begin the trial in December and Trump's wish to delay the proceedings indefinity, or until after the 2024 election.
With Trump leading his GOP rivals by a hefty margin, the decision means a jury could be deciding whether to hand a guilty verdict to the Republican presidential nominee.
The presidential primaries are set to take place between January and May of next year, according to The New York Times.
The Details: The trial will be held in Fort Pierce, Florida, where Cannon oversaw a heated hearing on Tuesday, with intense arguments between prosecutors representing Special Counsel Jack Smith and Trump's legal team argued over the timing of the trial, according to the publication.
Cannon also established a schedule of hearings for the months ahead and into next year. These hearings will encompass various matters, including those pertaining to the treatment of the classified material that lies at the core of the case, according to the NYT.
Cannon will need to consider the challenge of persuading a jury about the risks associated with mishandling classified documents while being cautious about disclosing the content contained within those files.
Last month, Trump pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and has consistently maintained his innocence, labeling this case and others against him as a "Witch Hunt."
Trump's Web Of Lawsuits: The news of a May trial will add further complications to Trump’s cluttered court schedule.
On Tuesday, the former president disclosed that he received a target letter from Smith regarding his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result. This could lead to Trump facing his third indictment.
The former president won’t need to worry about fitting a retrial of the initial Jean E. Carroll case into his schedule, however. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Trump’s request for a new trial after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in that civil case, according to Reuters.
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