Former President Trump currently only has a firm trial date for one of the four criminal cases against him but that is expected to change Friday. US District Judge Aileen Cannon is holding a hearing in Florida in the classified documents case and Trump's lawyers, after months of pushing for delays, have proposed an August 12 trial date. The New York Times calls the move an "abrupt turnabout" that may be an effort to ensure the trial in Trump's other federal case doesn't start until after the election. The Times notes that the jury pool in Florida is likely to be a lot more Trump-friendly than the jury pool in Washington, DC, where the 2020 election interference trial will be held.
In a court filing submitted Thursday, Trump's lawyers argued against holding a trial in the documents case this year, saying, "As the leading candidate in the 2024 election, President Trump strongly asserts that a fair trial cannot be conducted this year in a manner consistent with the Constitution," per NBC News. But Trump "respects that the Court issued an Order directing the parties to submit scheduling proposals," they said. Special counsel Jack Smith's team says the trial will last four to six weeks, NBC News reports. Trump is expected to attend Friday's hearing, which will deal with the trial's timing and other issues, including how classified evidence will be handled and a proposed questionnaire for potential jurors.
The case was originally slated to go to trial on May 20, but Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, is expected to push it back at Friday's hearing, Politico reports. Prosecutors are asking for a July 8 start date. The former president faces 40 felony charges in the documents case. His hush money trial in New York is due to begin on March 25, while the Georgia election interference case is unlikely to start before the November election. (More Trump indictments stories.)
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