Former President Donald Trump is facing an indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents, which is the first federal criminal prosecution of a former president. The trial is set to begin in late May of the following year, despite Trump's lawyers' request for a later trial after the 2024 election. The judge rejected this request and scheduled the jury trial to take place in Southern Florida starting on May 20, 2024.
Trump and his aide, Waltine "Walt" Nauta, were charged in a 38-count indictment for improperly retaining 31 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida residence and private club. They both pleaded not guilty.
The timing of the trial is crucial because Trump is a front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, and the trial could potentially take place while he is the party's presumptive nominee. This led to debates on whether the trial should be postponed until after the election, as there were concerns about the possibility of interference from a potential Republican winner in the election.
The judge overseeing the case, Aileen M. Cannon, was appointed by Trump in 2020 and has drawn attention for her ruling to allow an outside review of the documents seized from Trump's Florida residence during the investigation.
The trial will be held under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), which governs the use of classified information in court proceedings and may result in additional pretrial motions and hearings. Both the prosecution and defense will present their arguments on how to select a jury for the trial, and the government must provide the defense team with initial classified materials by a specified date.
Apart from this case, Trump is facing other legal challenges, including a criminal trial in Manhattan and civil lawsuits in New York. He is also the subject of separate investigations related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
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