The trial of former President Donald Trump concerning his alleged mishandling of government documents is tentatively scheduled to start just one week before the first GOP primary debate.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, herself a Trump appointee to the bench, set the trial date for August 14, 2023. She also set a July 24, 2023, deadline for pretrial motions and motions in limine (at the start) regarding the admissibility of evidence.
Jack Smith, the special counsel who investigated Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, which led to a 37-count indictment of the former president, had asked for a speedy trial. The schedule set by Judge Cannon appears to grant that.
However, experienced lawyers do not think the parties and Judge Cannon’s court can adhere to the ambitious schedule.
Criminal Defense Attorney David Marcus asserted in a tweet, “Although the case is currently set for August, that’s not a real date. It’s just a place setter. The case will get continued.”
After Judge Cannon’s scheduling order, Trump’s lawyers initiated the process to obtain the necessary clearances to review the classified evidence at issue, reported The New York Times. That process alone can take months.
Trump pleaded not guilty on all counts, and his legal team is not set. Neither is that of his aide and codefendant Walt Nauta. Pretrial proceedings in the case will be extensive as the parties battle over classified evidence behind closed doors.
Trump’s attorneys will likely file a host of motions assailing the prosecution for misconduct, including violating Trump’s attorney-client privilege and engaging in selective prosecution, the NYT reported.
Some legal observers believe that Trump would prefer the matter to proceed slowly, per the NYT story, as this has been his favored legal strategy in the past. If the trial is delayed past next year’s presidential election and Trump regains the presidency, he could, in theory, have the charges dropped or even perhaps pardon himself.
The first Republican primary debate is set for August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a tentative plan of one debate per month through the end of the year. How much the court schedule will impact the former president’s participation remains to be seen. Trump has indicated he may skip the first two debates on the schedule.
