As Delays Pile Up, Prospects of Pre-Election Trump Trials Wane

Published on May 13, 2024

Heading into 2024, former President Donald Trump encountered a wave of litigation that made this presidential election cycle unlike any other in American history. With four criminal cases pending, speculation abounds as to whether the former president and presumptive GOP nominee would have to campaign from some kind of detention. That is appearing increasingly unlikely just five months into the year as pre-trial delays pile up and legal analysts question whether some of the trials will even begin before the election. That prospect was bolstered by two court decisions in the second week of May. On May 7, Judge Aileen Cannon, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, indefinitely prolonged a pre-trial process that started last June for the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. It was initially scheduled for May 20 but, according to Judge Cannon, more time was needed to address pre-trial motions....