A federal judge’s decision this week to postpone former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case represents a significant legal victory for Trump, according to legal analysts. The ruling, made by Judge Aileen Cannon, allows for a delay in the trial, providing Trump with additional time before the case goes to court.
Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, wrote that special counsel Jack Smith has limited options to expedite the process. “Realistically, there is nothing Jack Smith can do to move the Mar-a-Lago case forward to trial before the election,” Mariotti explained, noting that Judge Cannon has wide discretion over her trial calendar.
Brandon Van Grack, another former federal prosecutor, highlighted the challenges Smith’s team might face due to Judge Cannon’s “numerous other scheduled hearings on pretrial motions” from Trump and his co-defendants. This, he suggested, indicates that Judge Cannon sees merit in these motions, leading to a potentially prolonged trial process.
Harry P. Litman, a law professor and former U.S. attorney, referred to the situation as a “deep freeze,” emphasizing that the case’s progression has stalled significantly following Judge Cannon’s ruling. Other legal commentators claim that Judge Cannon’s latest order seems to deliberately delay the case, raising concerns about her intentions.
Despite these claims, Tim Fitton, head of the Judicial Watch legal group, argued that complaints about Judge Cannon’s decisions are unwarranted, asserting that the timeline she has established is typical. “But the Left’s election riggers and civil rights abusers believe that Trump has no rights and will attack Judge Cannon for proceeding normally in this case and for not violating Trump’s constitutional rights,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The case’s complexity deepened when Jack Smith’s team admitted to mismanaging the contents of a box of documents, which were re-arranged, potentially causing confusion. This error prompted criticism from Trump, who, on his Truth Social platform, called for Smith’s arrest and demanded the case be dropped.
