Cannon Sets May ’24 Trial Date For Trump Docs Case

The order keeps the Trump trial six months before the 2024 presidential election.
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on November 15, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump announced that he was seeking another term in off... PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on November 15, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump announced that he was seeking another term in office and officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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The Florida judge overseeing President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified records trial won’t give the former President what he wants — for now.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for the Southern District of Florida scheduled Trump’s trial on charges of unlawfully retaining national defense information, obstruction, and conspiracy for May 20, 2024.

Trump’s attorneys had asked Cannon to indefinitely delay scheduling a trial date, saying that the 2024 election would make finding an impartial jury pool impossible. Federal prosecutors with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office wanted the trial to begin in December 2023.

It’s a relative defeat for Trump, who benefitted last year from a series of rulings that Cannon issued in a civil case that he brought to halt the DOJ’s use of records it seized from Mar-a-Lago for its investigation. Cannon wrote in a ruling in that matter that Trump deserved special consideration due to his status as a former President.

In the Friday order, Cannon wrote that Trump’s arguments about his status as a current presidential candidate were “unnecessary to resolution of the Government’s motion at this juncture.” It leaves room for the issue potentially to reappear in the future, but takes it out of consideration for now.

Smith had asked for an unusually early trial for the case, which involves complicated procedures around classification. Cannon designated the case as complex in her ruling, and described Smith’s request as “atypically accelerated and inconsistent with ensuring a fair trial.”

Per the schedule that Cannon set, the two sides have one month to trade arguments about a classified information protective order which Cannon, by law, has to issue.

The trial date itself may be further delayed.

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Notable Replies

  1. Cannon designated the case as complex in her ruling, and described Smith’s request as “atypically accelerated and inconsistent with ensuring a fair trial.”

    There will always be a question about “fairness” as long as Trump and his supporters can scream that it’s an unfair witch hunt.

    But you do you, Judge Cannon.

  2. I’ll bet that this judicial hack will eventually move it to December 2024 or at some date beyond the election.

  3. Cross posted from other thread:

    So May 2024…

    As it’s unquestioned that Cannon is a hack and will surely look to help Republicans here…

    Do we think May 2024 is to ensure Trump is cleared before November?

    Or obviously guilty in time for Republicans to nominate someone different at the RNC?

    Maybe it’s Both? And there is still some “Wait and see on the Jan 6th topic” going on. Leaving “sace Trump” and “Underbus Trump” both an option?

  4. The trial date itself may will be further delayed.

    FIFY!

  5. Its my preference.

    I’d rather a trial hanging over his head in November than a BS acquittal due to “Cannon shenanigans”

    ShenCannonigans?

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