Judge Aileen Cannon has set a May trial date for former President Trump in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
Although Cannon rejected Trump’s legal team’s request to indefinitely delay the matter, she largely agreed with his arguments that the complexities of the case required setting a trial well after prosecutors requested trial date of December of this year.
“The Court rejects Defendants’ request to withhold setting of a schedule now,” Cannon writes. “Nevertheless, the Government’s proposed schedule is atypically accelerated and inconsistent with ensuring a fair trial.”
Trump’s trial is set for May 20, but the matter is likely to get delayed further as Trump’s team has made clear they expect to file various motions in the case.
Those motions are likely to bump back the trial date, a move that could push the trial closer to the presidential election — a factor that could prompt additional requests to delay the trial.
Cannon alluded to that in her order, noting that practice “will require considerable time for Court review, independent of the ultimate merits of any such motions.”
In the order, Cannon gives considerable weight to arguments from Trump’s team that they will need significant time to review all the discovery in the case — something the Justice Department dismissed while noting several attorneys on the case delayed applying for the security clearances necessary to review such evidence.
“By conservative estimates, the amount of discovery in this case is voluminous and likely to increase in the normal course as trial approaches. And, while the Government has taken steps to organize and filter the extensive discovery, no one disagrees that Defendants need adequate time to review and evaluate it on their own accord,” Cannon wrote.
Trump is facing charges on 37 counts in the case, including for violations of the Espionage Act as well as obstruction of justice.
The former president’s campaign celebrated the Cannon’s decision in a statement on Friday.
“Today’s order by Judge Cannon is a major setback to the DOJ’s crusade to deny President Trump a fair legal process,” a Trump spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The extensive schedule allows President Trump and his legal team to continue fighting this empty hoax.”
Updated at 1:38 p.m.