Former President Donald Trump Scheduled for May 2024 Trial Over Alleged Illegal Retention of Classified Documents

Former President Donald Trump is slated to face trial next May in a Florida federal court, where he is charged with unlawfully retaining hundreds of classified documents.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon reached a compromise by setting the trial date for May 20, 2024, after prosecutors requested a December trial, while defense lawyers sought to delay it until after the 2024 presidential election.

The May trial date comes shortly after a separate New York trial where Trump faces multiple state charges related to the alleged falsification of business records tied to a hush money payment to a porn actor. The scheduled trial would likely occur well into the presidential nominating calendar, possibly after the Republican nominee is determined but before their official nomination at the Republican National Convention.

Judge Cannon granted the delay from the Justice Department’s proposed December 11 start date, agreeing with defense lawyers that the extensive evidence, including classified information, requires thorough examination before the trial, making an accelerated schedule unfair.

Aside from this case, Trump may face additional trials in the near future. He disclosed that he received a letter notifying him of a separate Justice Department investigation into his involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, indicating potential charges. Moreover, prosecutors in Georgia are planning to announce charging decisions related to Trump and his associates’ alleged efforts to manipulate the state’s vote.

The upcoming trial before Judge Cannon will be held at a federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. The charges stem from a 38-count indictment filed by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, accusing Trump of intentionally withholding classified documents, including top-secret records, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and conspiring with his valet, Walt Nauta, to conceal them from investigators who demanded their return. Both Trump and Nauta have entered pleas of not guilty.