Florida judge in Mar-a-Lago case delays Trump's classified documents trial indefinitely

FORT PIERCE — The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents case has postponed his trial indefinitely, citing a "myriad" of unresolved pretrial issues.

In an order released late Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said it would be "imprudent" to cement a new trial date. Her decision is a boon to the former president and his legal team, which has pushed the judge repeatedly to delay the trial until after the presidential election in November.

Trump, accused of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, has pleaded not guilty to the 40 charges against him. The classified documents case is one of four criminal trials in store for the former president, including one underway in New York concerning alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

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"This is good for Jack Smith," wrote Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg on X, formerly Twitter. "This trial was never going to happen before the election. Now that it’s off the calendar, the DC election interference case can proceed as soon as (or IF) the Supreme Court gives the green light."

Cannon's order does not hint at potential trial dates. Prosecutors have suggested it could begin in early July, while Trump’s lawyers have argued it should start no earlier than August. The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15-18 in Milwaukee.

The judge has yet to rule on several outstanding motions, too, including numerous attempts to dismiss the case by Trump and his codefendants. In his latest, Trump invoked the names of political rivals who he says retained classified documents and received no more than a slap on the wrist.

Unlike them, prosecutors say Trump engaged in a "multifaceted scheme of deception and obstruction" to thwart those documents' safe return.

Attorneys representing the former president's employees and codefendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, argued in their own motions to dismiss the case that they had "no clue" what was in the boxes they moved around Mar-a-Lago at Trump's instruction.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida judge on classified documents case delays trial indefinitely