CNN reports that a federal judge ordered Friday that the trial in the classified documents case that special counsel Jack Smith brought against former President Donald Trump begin in mid-May 2024. US District Judge Aileen Cannon said a two-week trial period would begin on May 20.
The trial is exxpected to take place during multiple Republican primaries. Trump's legal team had earlier petitioned for the trial to be postponed for that reason, but Judge Cannon stated that she did not see that alone as basis to refrain from scheduling a trial date.
Smith's team, in contrast, had called to start the trial in December of 2023, and the proposed trial date will leave the proceedings unfolding far later and slower than originally hoped for by the prosecution.
Trump and an aide had been originally charged in June. Both pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful retention of national defense information and engaging in obstructive conduct.
Judge Cannon's order notes, among other things 'voluminous evidence' being turned over to the defense counsel, as well as 'extensive pre-trial motion practice on a diverse number of legal and factual issues, all in connection with a 38-count indictment."