The worst case scenario for the Republican Party was a classified documents trial date that was after the presidential primary but before the general election, which is what Judge Aileen Cannon did.
Trump’s classified documents trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024:
During the hearing earlier this week in Fort Pierce, Cannon had signaled her skepticism with both sides' proposals — and hinted at an interest in a spring/early summer timeline, asking how firm the NY trial date in March was
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) July 21, 2023
DOJ wanted the trial in December of 2023, but legal experts suggested that even with a trial date that early there are so many points to be worked out that the trial would not happen that soon.
Trump wanted the trial delayed until after the 2024 presidential election, and Cannon’s ruling was a definitive rejection of his claim that he should not be put on trial until after the election because he is the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Cannon didn’t buy it.
It seems that Judge Cannon learned her lesson after getting smacked down by the appeals court for her previous rulings in the classified documents case.
The May 2024 trial date is a massive problem for the Republican Party because Trump now has enough time to win the party’s presidential nomination, but the GOP’s likely nominee will go right into a federal criminal trial that will dominate the campaign.
Republicans would have been better served by the DOJ trial date than what Cannon gave them.
This is a legal defeat for Trump that all but ensures that his criminal issues will be at the front and center of the 2024 general election campaign.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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