Prosecutors have proposed a January 2, 2024, start date for Donald Trump’s election interference trial, according to court documents released on Thursday.
That date, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith said in a filing, would give enough time for both parties to review discovery and hash out any pretrial legal matters while still being expedient for the sake of the public.
“It is difficult to imagine a public interest stronger than the one in this case, in which the defendant—the former President of the United States—is charged with three criminal conspiracies intended to undermine the federal government, obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election, and disenfranchise voters,” Smith said.
He also shot down claims from Trump’s legal team that the Speedy Trial Act is only intended to protect the rights of the defendant, saying the policy clearly states that a speedy trial is also in the vested interest of the public.
Smith outlined a scheduled of potential court dates leading up to the commencement of the trial, including jury selection on December 11. He estimated that the trial will last “no longer than four to six weeks”.
This proposed trial date for Trump, who’s running for the GOP’s presidential nomination, would potentially overlap with the Iowa Republican caucus on January 15 and the Nevada primary on February 6. Recent polls show that Trump is the clear front-runner for the nomination and leads his nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, by a staggering 37 percentage points.
Trump has 2024 trial dates scheduled in two other cases: March 25 for his charges concerning hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and May 20 for charges concerning his handing of classified documents.