Trump’s Strategy: Engineer Calendar Clashes to Stall Trials
Donald Trump’s legal team is making strategic maneuvers to potentially delay the former president’s major criminal cases until after the 2024 general election. This approach involves leveraging the calendar of federal judges overseeing his cases, aiming to create scheduling conflicts that could postpone trials, according to reporting by CNN.
The focus of Trump’s legal strategy is to influence the scheduling decisions of Judge Tanya Chutkan in DC, overseeing the 2020 federal election obstruction case, and Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida, handling the Mar-a-Lago document mishandling case. The objective is to ensure that neither judge can commence a trial before Election Day, with an emphasis on “icing” Chutkan to prevent her from initiating the trial within this timeframe.
Trump’s legal team views the potential to push Cannon to delay the Mar-a-Lago trial as a pivotal element of their strategy. By proposing to move the trial date and subsequently seeking additional delays due to the complexities of handling classified documents, they aim to extend the timeline significantly. This maneuvering seeks to occupy the legal calendar in a way that restricts Chutkan’s ability to schedule the 2020 election case trial before voters head to the polls.
CNN reports that Trump has openly sought to delay trials in his criminal cases, with federal judges Chutkan and Cannon previously rejecting requests for postponement. However, the evolving dynamics of the legal proceedings, including protracted battles over evidence and pretrial issues, offer Trump’s team opportunities to advocate for rescheduling.
Judge Cannon, appointed by Trump and known for her cautious approach to pretrial matters, has shown openness to considering trial date adjustments. This willingness, combined with the ongoing legal complexities, may play into Trump’s strategy of delaying his court appearances. The juxtaposition of Cannon’s and Chutkan’s courts—reflecting different political leanings and judicial profiles—underscores the challenges and implications of scheduling decisions in these high-profile cases.
As Trump faces a series of trials, including a forthcoming one in Manhattan related to hush money payments, his legal team is actively engaging in scheduling discussions. The upcoming hearing before Judge Cannon in Florida is anticipated to address these issues, with Trump’s defense signaling intentions to request a trial postponement.
