Donald Trump’s classified documents trial in Florida was postponed indefinitely by a federal district judge on Tuesday.
Judge Aileen Cannon cited significant issues around classified evidence that would need to be resolved before the federal criminal case goes to a jury, The Washington Post reported.
Cannon, in a order issued on Tuesday, canceled a May 20 trial date, CNN reported. She did not set a new date.
Breaking news: Donald Trump’s Florida trial for allegedly mishandling classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them has been pushed back indefinitely, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon ruled Tuesday. https://t.co/1fTIbEbHuj
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 7, 2024
The judge wrote that it “would be imprudent” to finalize a trial date “at this juncture,” according to CNBC.
Prosecutors urged Cannon to pick a date in early July, the Post reported.
Cases that involve classified documents must follow the rules and legal proceedings defined under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), according to the newspaper.
In her order, Cannon set a number of new pretrial deadlines that both parties will be required to meet. The latest deadline is a CIPA-related deadline for July 22, the Post reported.
That means the trial would not start before that date, according to the newspaper.
Cannon wrote that “the Court also determines that finalization of a trial date at this juncture -- before resolution of the myriad and interconnected pretrial and CIPA issues remaining and forthcoming -- would be imprudent and inconsistent with the Court’s duty to fully and fairly consider the various pending pretrial motions before the Court, critical CIPA issues, and additional pretrial and trial preparations necessary to present this case to a jury.”
In Florida, Trump is charged with dozens of counts of mishandling classified information after his term as president ended, the Post reported. He is also accused of plotting with two aides to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover the material from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
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