According to Mediaite, in a legal setback for former President Donald Trump, Judge Aileen Cannon rejected his team’s request to postpone his May 2024 trial in the federal classified documents case until after the presidential election. The judge, who was appointed by Trump, issued an order denying the defendant’s motion to continue the trial without prejudice. However, the request will be reconsidered at a scheduling conference on March 1, 2024.
In her ruling, Judge Cannon acknowledged the voluminous nature of the discovery in the case, emphasizing that it has increased substantially from initial estimates. She recognized the challenges posed by the overlapping schedules of Trump’s trial and potential presidential campaign in 2024, highlighting the need to ensure Trump has adequate time to prepare for the trial and assist in his defense.
The decision comes amid reports that employees at Mar-a-Lago, including a plumber, maid, chauffeur, and woodworker, could be called as possible witnesses in the classified documents trial. The trial, in which Trump faces 31 counts of mishandling classified documents in violation of the Espionage Act, is scheduled for May 2024. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The legal proceedings and the denial of the motion to postpone the trial indicate the ongoing legal challenges and complexities surrounding Trump’s legal battles. The judge’s decision to revisit the request in March allows for further consideration of the trial’s timing and its potential impact on Trump’s schedule.
[T]he quantity of discovery in this case remains exceedingly voluminous, even more so than initially thought. To be sure, the Special Counsel has taken various steps to produce discovery on a regular basis. But even with these efforts, discovery has increased sizably from initial estimates…
Although the Special Counsel is correct that the trajectory of these matters potentially remains in flux, the schedules as they currently stand overlap substantially with the deadlines in this case, presenting additional challenges to ensuring Defendant Trump has adequate time to prepare for trial and to assist in his defense.
