A judge has decided that in the spring of 2019, former President Donald Trump will stand trial for the alleged mishandling of secret data.

The court date assigned by Judge Aileen Cannon is May 20. Mr. Trump wants the trial to take place after the upcoming election in November of 2024. The prosecution requested it for this year.

During the height of the election season, the high-profile case will commence.

Mr. Trump, age 77, is being investigated for allegedly keeping highly confidential documents at his Florida estate.

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The government claims he hid classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago mansion after he left office, and then resisted attempts to collect them.

The ex-president has denied any wrongdoing and has criticized the prosecution as an attempt to derail his reelection bid.

On Friday, Trump appointee Judge Cannon announced that the trial would take place in Fort Pierce, Florida for two weeks.

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In order for the prosecution to win the Mar-a-Lago case, the jury must reach a unanimous verdict.

The Fort Pierce division encompasses numerous counties that Mr. Trump won in 2020, and it is from these areas that jurors will be selected.

During his appearance in Miami last month, the ex-president pled not guilty to all 37 federal charges against him.

This week, attorneys from both sides argued in court in Fort Pierce about when to hold the trial.

Watch the media caption and see how much you know about top secret files.

The prosecution argued that the trial should not be postponed because the evidence was not complex. The December start date was pushed for.

However, Mr. Trump’s legal team insisted that more time was needed because of the “extraordinary” nature of the case.

They argued that their client would not receive a fair trial before the upcoming election in November 2024.

According to polls, Mr. Trump has a commanding lead over other Republican candidates in the campaign to face off against the Democratic nominee, who will most likely be President Joe Biden, in the upcoming election.

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Important Trump Dates for the New Year
On January 15th, Republican voters in Iowa will hold the first of many so-called primary votes across the states that will ultimately determine the party’s presidential nominee.
In 14 states, including California and Texas, elections will be held on “Super Tuesday,” March 5. The nominee is likely to be confirmed in all but name at this time.
Mr. Trump’s criminal trial for leaking confidential information begins in Florida on May 20.
15-18 July: In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Republicans will have their national convention to nominate a candidate for president.
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Mr. Trump is currently facing multiple legal challenges, including the Mar-a-Lago case.

In April, he was arrested in New York on charges of filing false business records.

This week, President Trump said he expected to be detained soon in connection with a federal investigation into the 2016 riot in the US Capitol and his intentions to contest the results of the 2020 election.

Atlanta, Georgia state prosecutors are also looking into whether the former president broke the law by trying to reverse the election results in that state three years ago.

Special counsel Jack Smith was assigned by the Department of Justice to look into both the Capitol Hill disturbance and the Mar-a-Lago documents.

Prosecutors have accused Mr. Trump of stealing over 300 secret documents when he left office and taking them to his oceanfront Palm Beach mansion.

Reports state that he dispersed the confidential papers among different locations, including a lavatory and a ballroom.

Prosecutors claim that Mr. Trump instructed his personal assistant, Walt Nauta, to remove secret documents from the resort’s storage room.

Mr. Nauta has also been accused in the case but has maintained his innocence.

To cover up his hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Mr. Trump is being charged with 34 felonies in New York.

On March 25, 2024, the former president will stand trial on the charges.