Jack Smith takes major loss in attempt to start Trump's classified docs trial sooner

Special Counsel Jack Smith and his federal prosecutors took a major loss last week after a judge denied an important request. 

According to the Washington Examiner, United States District Judge Aileen Cannon denied Smith's request that former President Donald Trump disclose any classified evidence he plans to use in the classified documents case by mid-December.

The maneuver, as noted by the Examiner, signals that Cannon is likely to delay the start of the trial.

As it stands, the trial is set to begin next year on May 20. The judge has now indicated that she will reevaluate that date in March, as she considers other deadlines in the case.

Special counsel #JackSmith’s request to set a new deadline for former President Donald #Trump’s lawyers to alert the government of classified information they want to present during an upcoming trial has been turned down by a federal judge. https://t.co/NvyV9eaq8I

— NTD News (@NTDNews) November 17, 2023

The Examiner explained the complexities of the situation, given that it deals with classified documents:

The deadlines include requirements parties in the case need to meet under the Classified Information Procedures Act. Cannon's decision on Thursday, related to Section 5 of CIPA, confirmed that anything in the CIPA process beginning with Section 5 will not occur until after the scheduling conference, leaving what is expected to be months of back-and-forth filings that would run into the trial if the date of it remained intact.

Smith and his prosecutors had asked for a Dec. 18 deadline for Trump and his legal team to present the classified evidence they plan to use.

Many, including the former president, argued that the deadline was ridiculous, to say the least.

The biggest score for the former president is that the trial will ultimately likely be pushed past the 2024 contest, which takes at least one upcoming trial off his plate before Election Day.

Trump will likely have other trials next year, which will significantly interrupt his time on the campaign trail.

Luckily, he's dominating the polls and shows no sign of stopping as 2024 approaches. He has also bested President Joe Biden in several recent polls, causing new concerns for the Democratic Party.

Some on social media reacted to the news, saying that it's already a loss for Smith, as Trump will almost certainly take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and likely score a victory.

"The real reason why this is in no big hurry to proceed? Everyone knows that when this makes it up to SCOTUS, it's game, set, and match. Trump wins. It's already been decided," one X user wrote.

Only time will tell.