New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan ruled Monday that Donald Trump's criminal trial for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's hush money case against the ex-president will begin on April 15.
In a Wednesday filing to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, Trump’s lawyers argued that the April 15 date likely will cause a conflict with the potential start date for his classified documents case trial.
MSNBC host and legal expert Katie Phang shared the document via X, writing, "NEW: (NOT-President) Donald Trump files this Notice of Trial Date to advise Judge Cannon that he is due to commence trial in his Manhattan DA criminal case on April 15th so he’s got scheduling conflicts now."
The Associated Press notes Cannon, "Has yet to set a firm trial date despite holding two hours-long hearings with lawyers this month. Multiple motions to dismiss the case are still pending, disputes over classified evidence have spanned months and a bitterly contested defense request to disclose the names of government witnesses remains unresolved.
The news outlet adds, "Complicating matters further is a recent order suggesting" Cannon is "still entertaining a Trump team claim about his rightful possession of the documents that she had appeared openly skeptical of days earlier."
The notice reads, On March 25, 2024, the judge presiding over People v. Trump scheduled jury selection to commence on April 15, 2024. While the exact end date of any trial cannot be known with certainty, because of jury selection, religious observances, and the anticipated schedule of the trial, we anticipate President Trump will be on trial in People v. Trump from April 15, 2024, through the end of May 2024.
It continued, "Our initial proposed schedule anticipated a March 25 trial date in People v. Trump, and therefore the dates that we proposed to the Court, particularly in late May and early June 2024, are no longer workable for President Trump in light of the adjourned trial date."
READ MORE: Ex-federal prosecutor lays out 4 key things to keep in mind about Trump’s hush money trial
In an article published by The Bulwark last week, law professor and former federal prosecutor Kimberly Wehle noted, "Monday was supposed to mark the start of the trial itself, but Merchan pushed it back last week until at least mid-April. The indictment in this case, brought a year ago by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, was the first of the four criminal cases lodged against Trump since he left office, and probably the weakest. But Bragg's case may be the only one of the four that could actually go to trial before the November election."