Trump’s trial in Classified Documents case to begin on May 20 next yr

The trial of former US President Donald Trump in the Classified Documents case will start on May 20 next year, after the federal judge overseeing the matter set the date on Friday, New York Times reported. Notably, this is a sort of middle position between the US government’s request to go to trial in December this year and Trump’s desire to push the proceeding until after the 2024 election. The matter pertains to the allegations on the former President of illegally retaining dozens of classified documents. In her order, Judge Aileen M Cannon said the trial was to be held in her home courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla., a coastal city two-and-a-half hours north of Miami that will draw its jury pool from several counties that Trump won handily in his two previous presidential campaigns, New York Times reported. Judge Cannon also laid out a calendar of hearings, throughout the remainder of this year and into next year, including those concerning the handling of the classified material at the heart of the case. The scheduling order came after a contentious hearing on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce where prosecutors working for the special counsel, Jack Smith, and lawyers for Trump sparred over the date of the trial. The timing of the proceeding is more important in this case than in most criminal matters because Trump is now the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination and his legal obligations to be in court will intersect with his campaign schedule, as per NYT.