Donald Trump hit with trial date for classified docs case after judge rejects delay request

Miami, Florida - The Department of Justice's prosecution of Donald Trump for the mishandling of classified documents has been given a trial date after the former president's request for a delay was rejected.

On Friday, Judge Aileen Cannon set a May 20 date for the trial of former President Donald Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
On Friday, Judge Aileen Cannon set a May 20 date for the trial of former President Donald Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.  © Chip Somodevilla / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

According to CNN, US District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered on Friday that the two-week trial will officially begin on May 20, 2024.

Earlier this month, Trump and his legal team submitted a filing urging the judge to consider pushing the trial until after the presidential elections in November 2024, arguing the proceedings would interfere with his campaign.

Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Trump during his 2020 presidency, rejected the request, stating in her decision that she did "not see a sufficient basis on this record to postpone entry of a scheduling order."

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Special Counsel Jack Smith and the DOJ have been pushing for a speedy trial, aiming for proceedings to begin in December of this year.

The decision falls in the middle of both suggestions.

Trump is facing 37 federal charges in the case related to the removal of classified documents from the White House, as well as alleged obstruction of attempts to recover them from his Mar-a-Lago property.

By mid-May, the majority of Republican primary votes in states across the country should be finished, giving Trump a chance to possibly clinch the party nomination before the trial begins.

Cover photo: Chip Somodevilla / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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