A Florida judge has set an initial trial date of August 14 for former President Donald Trump in the Department of Justice case over his withholding of secret documents.
Judge Aileen Cannon set the preliminary trial date for about two months after Trump’s appearance in her courtroom in Fort Pierce, Florida. The judge said in a filing Tuesday that all pretrial motions must be filed by July 24.
However, Trump and his team are expected to push to delay the trial through these motions, making it unlikely that the August 14 date will be held.
Trump pleaded not guilty last Tuesday to 37 charges following a Justice Department indictment alleging he violated the Espionage Act and obstructed justice by taking secret records from his presidency and refuse to return them. He also faces charges of concealing documents and misleading investigators.
Special counsel Jack Smith has said Trump’s trial could be completed in as little as 21 days.
But Trump, known for successfully delaying numerous previous civil lawsuits, has several options for time-eating challenges in the case.
The classified documents at issue in the case trigger a separate discovery process under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), including a Section 5 requirement of the law requiring the Trump team to give a hearing prior to his defense.
“The Trump team will likely argue that CIPA’s Section 5 notice requirement is unconstitutional, because it requires them to give some form of notice of their defense to the government. That argument has been roundly rejected by the courts, but the Trump team still will,” Brian Greer, a former CIA lawyer, previously told The Hill.
This story was updated at 9:07 am
