Biden’s DOJ seeks July 8 start date for seized Mar-a-Lago docs trial—Judge Cannon says it’s ‘unrealistic’

Judge Aileen Cannon, who already hinted that she may delay the trial's planned start date, is gathering more information as she prepares to announce the exact date proceedings will kick off.

According to the New York Times, Cannon recently asked both Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecutors and Trump's defense team to submit proposals laying out their positions regarding when the trial should begin.

In their proposals, which Cannon received on Thursday evening, prosecutors asked for a July 8 start date while Trump's lawyers requested that it be delayed until August 12. The latter still made it clear, however, that they believed proceedings should be pushed back until after the election.

"As the leading candidate in the 2024 election," his team wrote, per NBC News, "President Trump strongly asserts that a fair trial cannot be conducted this year in a manner consistent with the Constitution, which affords President Trump a Sixth Amendment right to be present and to participate in these proceedings,"and "a First Amendment right that he shares with the American people to engage in campaign speech."

MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin added that in their filing, Trumps' lawyers argued that having a trial this year would violate the Department of Justice's policy regarding "actions that may have an impact on an election," and that Smith was working with Attorney General Merrick Garland, who they described as "politically biased and calculated."

Rubin went on to note that Trump said the schedule of his Florida case must work with the Supreme Court's quest into whether he has presidential immunity in his Washington, DC election interference case.

In November, Cannon said she was open to making "reasonable adjustments" to the timeline of the case.

After a break for lunch, Judge Cannon said that the proposed July 8 start date is "unrealistic," noting at least 13 outstanding motions and CIPA litigation.