Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to stand trial for alleged mishandling of classified documents in the spring of next year, as ruled by Judge Aileen Cannon.
The trial is set for 20 May, although Mr. Trump had sought to have it scheduled after the November 2024 election, while prosecutors wanted it to take place this year.
This high-profile case will unfold amidst a full-swing election campaign. The 77-year-old Mr. Trump is facing serious charges related to the storage of sensitive files at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office. Prosecutors accuse him of illegally retaining secret documents and obstructing government efforts to recover them.
Throughout the proceedings, the former president has maintained his innocence, denouncing the case as an attempt to undermine his election campaign.
Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, announced on Friday that the two-week trial would be held in Fort Pierce, Florida.
In the Mar-a-Lago case, prosecutors must secure a unanimous decision from the jury to obtain a conviction.
Jurors will be selected from the Fort Pierce division, which encompasses several counties that Mr. Trump won in the 2020 election.
During an arraignment in Miami last month, the former president pleaded not guilty to 37 federal counts.
Recently, lawyers from both sides presented arguments in the Fort Pierce court regarding the timing of the trial.
Prosecutors emphasized that the evidence in the Mar-a-Lago case was straightforward and saw no reason to postpone the trial, advocating for a December start date.
On the other hand, Mr. Trump’s legal team argued that the extraordinary nature of the case required more time for preparation, asserting that their client would not receive a fair trial before the November 2024 election.
Opinion polls indicate Mr. Trump is currently the leading candidate to secure the Republican party’s nomination and challenge President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, in the upcoming election.
The Mar-a-Lago case is just one of several legal challenges Mr. Trump is facing. In April, he was charged with falsifying business records in New York. He recently stated that he expects to be arrested soon in connection with a federal inquiry into the US Capitol riot from two years ago and his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
State prosecutors in Atlanta, Georgia, are also investigating whether the former president violated the law with his attempts to overturn the poll results in that state three years ago.
Jack Smith, a special counsel appointed by the Department of Justice, is leading two separate investigations into the Capitol riot and the Mar-a-Lago files.
As per an indictment from last month, Mr. Trump is alleged to have taken approximately 300 classified documents to his oceanfront home in Palm Beach after leaving office. Prosecutors claim he stored the sensitive files in various spaces, including a ballroom and a bathroom.
Additionally, he reportedly instructed a personal aide, Walt Nauta, to move boxes containing classified files from a storage room at the resort before federal investigators could inspect them. Mr. Nauta, who is also charged in the case, has pleaded not guilty.