The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against former President of the United States, Donald Trump, says the criminal trial will begin on May 20, 2024.
It will hold in Fort Pierce, Florida, Judge Aileen Cannon announced on Friday.
The announcement by Cannon comes after federal prosecutors and defence attorneys argued in favour of their preferred timelines at a hearing earlier this week in Fort Pierce.
Smith had requested a start date of December 11, while Trump’s team said the trial should be pushed back until after the election next year.
Cannon, a Trump appointee, had initially scheduled the trial to begin on August 14.
In recent filings, special counsel prosecutors called for the case to proceed “expeditiously,” while Trump’s lawyers urged Cannon to postpone the trial until after Election Day 2024.
They had argued that the December trial date sought by the government would be “unreasonable” and “result in a miscarriage of justice.”
Trump faces 37 counts tied to allegations that he willfully retained national defence information, conspired to obstruct justice and made false statements.
Also, Walt Nauta, a former White House valet, faces six felony counts stemming from allegations that he helped Trump hide top secret national security files from investigators after leaving the White House.
Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty.
Trump has also pleaded not guilty in another criminal trial, one that’s scheduled to start in March. He faces 34 felony counts in Manhattan over allegations that he falsified business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
