(CN) — The federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump said Tuesday she would not schedule a trial on Espionage Act charges until the summer.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order Tuesday scheduling a new round of hearings to address evidentiary issues and arguments from Trump’s legal team for dismissing the case.
Missing from the calendar was a long-awaited new trial date.
Cannon, a Trump appointee, said in the order it would be “imprudent” to schedule a trial until she has resolved the myriad motions that remain outstanding in the case.
The judge canceled a May 20 trial date and said it would not be reset until late July at the earliest, after she has considered the pretrial motions and other issues.
“The court therefore vacates the current May 20, 2024, trial date (and associated calendar call), to be reset by separate order following resolution of the matters before the court, consistent with defendants’ right to due process and the public’s interest in the fair and efficient administration of justice,” Cannon wrote.
The judge’s decision means it is increasingly unlikely the former president will face trial on charges he mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House before the presidential election in November.
If elected president again, Trump would be immune from prosecution while in office and could order the Justice Department to drop the prosecution entirely.
Cannon held a hearing more than two months ago to discuss the May trial date, which became increasingly unlikely as defense attorneys launched a fusillade of challenges to the historic prosecution.
The sensitive nature of the documents Trump is accused of mishandling, some of which detail nuclear defense vulnerabilities, have added to the problem as attorneys debate how to present the information to a jury without revealing national secrets.
Trump’s attorneys previously proposed a Sept. 9 trial date, but even that would be difficult to achieve under the judge's new timeline.
Cannon scheduled arguments on two motions to dismiss for May 22 in the federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida. A two-day evidentiary hearing on discovery motions will begin June 24 and a sealed hearing on classified evidence is scheduled for July 22.
The judge also set deadlines Tuesday for expert disclosures, status reports and other filings.
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