In the midst of discussions between the judge, Trump’s attorney, and Special Counsel Jack Smith, Judge Cannon rejected requests for pre-trial motions to be pushed back while it is decided how the sensitive materials pertaining to the case can be discussed in front of the jury.
Cannon, nominated to the bench by Trump, has frequently come under fire for decisions that have favored the president, including those that might cause the May 20 trial to begin later than expected.
Trump's attorneys requested that Cannon extend the deadline by which the president and his two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, must submit their evidentiary motions. The request was turned down by cannon.
“The deadline to file pre-trial motions (as distinct from motions in limine seeking the exclusion of specific evidence/arguments from being presented during trial) remains February 22, 2024,” Judge Cannon wrote in the court filings.
“However, to the extent the Court's resolution of the pending Motions to Compel Discovery 262 yields a specified need of any party to supplement previously filed pre-trial motions and/or to file evidentiary motions that could not reasonably have been filed by February 22, 2024, the Court will consider such arguments as appropriate, but only upon a particularized and timely showing that events post-dating February 22, 2024, clearly justify additional pre-trial briefing.”
