Two of Donald Trump’s criminal cases face a key inflection point on Friday, as judges in Florida and Georgia weigh plans for the historic trials of the former president.
In Florida, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is set to consider moving the May 20 trial date in Trump’s federal classified documents case during a court conference that the former president plans to attend in person.
Special counsel Jack Smith, in a filing Thursday, has proposed a new trial date of July 8, while Trump’s legal team is continuing to propose a trial date after the 2024 election — but says in their own filing that Aug. 12 could be an alternative if Cannon were to disagree with that proposal.
Trump’s lawyers have also argued that the case should be entirely dismissed based on Trump’s claim of presidential immunity — an argument that the Supreme Court on Wednesday said they would consider in Trump’s federal election interference case.
Trump pleaded not guilty last June to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities, and took steps to thwart the government’s efforts to get the documents back. The former president has denied all wrongdoing in the case.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee will hear final arguments on the potential disqualification of District Attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case she brought against Trump and 18 others, on the grounds that she allegedly benefited financially from a romantic relationship she had with one of the prosecutors she hired for the case.
And with only 25 days until jury selection begins in Trump’s criminal hush money case in New York, Friday’s court proceedings could fundamentally realign the former president’s legal battles as he races toward the 2024 presidential election.
The former president has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing in all cases.
Trump’s conference in Florida
Trump plans to attend what is likely to be a marathon court conference Friday in his classified documents case, where attorneys will address multiple motions to dismiss the case, as well as issues surrounding the classified materials in question and scheduling challenges.
Trump’s co-defendants, longtime aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago staffer Carlos De Oliveira, are also expected to attend the hearing, which will be held in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The trial for the case is currently scheduled to begin on May 20.
Friday’s court conference follows several sealed hearings that were held this month to address access to evidence. The special counsel’s team and Trump’s attorneys have clashed over how much discovery information should be redacted — or completely withheld from public view.
Wednesday’s decision by the Supreme Court granting Trump’s request to consider whether he should have immunity from prosecution in his federal election subversion case has cast further doubt on whether the former president will stand trial on those charges prior to the 2024 election. Whether Trump can convince Judge Cannon to similarly delay his classified documents trial will be a central issue in Friday’s hearing — and could ultimately determine whether either case brought by Smith is ever heard by a jury.
In court filings, Trump’s lawyers have argued that the same argument of presidential immunity should apply to Trump’s alleged retention of classified documents, since the decision to remove the documents from the White House occurred while Trump was still president.
“The alleged decision was an official act, and as such is subject to presidential immunity,” defense lawyers wrote last week in a motion to dismiss the…
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