A federal judge in Florida has refused to delay the trial of former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case, but has granted extensions for pre-trial deadlines. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling is seen as a small victory for special counsel Jack Smith’s team, who had opposed any attempts to postpone the trial beyond its scheduled start date of May 20, 2024. The case involves numerous felony charges accusing the Republican ex-president of unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and concealing them from government investigators.
Judge Cannon’s decision is noteworthy because she had previously indicated her willingness to consider pushing back the trial date, citing Trump’s involvement in other ongoing trials and the extensive amount of evidence that defense lawyers need to review. Trump’s legal team had voiced concerns about the daunting task of sifting through over 1 million pages of evidence provided by prosecutors. However, prosecutors had objected to any delays, asserting that they had already taken measures to facilitate the defense’s review of the evidence.
Currently, Trump is scheduled for trial on March 4, 2024, in Washington, facing federal charges related to his alleged plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. He is also facing charges in Georgia for attempting to undermine the state’s election, as well as another case in New York accusing him of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Furthermore, Trump is involved in a business fraud lawsuit in New York, where a trial is currently underway. Throughout all these legal battles, Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and baselessly claimed that they are part of a politically motivated campaign to prevent his return to the White House.
