Jan 6 election interference case: Trump’s legal team has asked the trial be televised. This is a non-starter as no federal criminal trial can be broadcast. Trial set to begin March 4. Gag order put on hold by Appeals court. The 3 judge panel will hear oral arguments Nov 20 on the gag order. March 4 is also super Tuesday Republican primary, where roughly 1/3 of all delegates are chosen.

Trump has filed for a dismissal of all charges. On Nov 5, the Special Prosecutors responded forcefully, as follows (from first sentence of arguments):

“Rather than challenging the indictment on its merits, the defendant’s motions (ECF Nos. 113 and 114) attack the indictment by mischaracterizing its allegations, raising inapposite hypotheticals, and advancing arguments that are long on rhetoric but short on law. Stripped of those distractions, the defendant’s statutory and constitutional claims are entirely meritless.”

Classified documents case: Still scheduled to begin May 20, 2024 in Ft. Pierce, FL. Judge Aileen Cannon, has ruled against moving the trial date to beyond November 2024. A meeting is scheduled for March 1, 2024 to reconsider the deadlines and Trump’s side can again argue that the start date is too soon.

GA Election Fraud conspiracy case: Right now (Nov 12), four guilty pleas have been accepted, so there are now 15 defendants in the case. As requirements of the plea agreements, each defendant must be willing to testify honestly for the prosecution. Note that the prosecution has indicated that they would like a March 4 trial start date, which coincides with the Jan 6 federal case in Washington.

As of November 6, defendant Harrison Floyd, a former Black Voices for Trump director, is requesting government agencies turn over 145,000 Fulton absentee ballots. Judge Scott McAfee will rule on Floyd’s request “in the coming days” according to news reports. Court observers expect more defendants to opt for plea deals in the coming weeks. Harrison Floyd might be one of them.

Judge Scott McAfee expressed concerns that the courtroom for the trial of 15 defendants is not large enough. He wants the trial to be as open as possible, which includes allowing the media to televise the proceedings.

Hush money case, which is still scheduled to begin March 25. Judge Juan Merchan has said he is open to reschedule this case and will hold a conference with attorneys in February 2024 on start dates. This is a criminal case, and Donald Trump is required to be present.

Scheduling these four court cases isn’t easy. The Hush Money case might be the shortest, and ready for trial, but the judge might hold off until the other cases are done.

Other court cases:

Minnesota Supreme Court refused to consider denying Donald Trump from running in the primaries. The suit is based on the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3 which bars any candidate who has engaged in insurrection from holding office. The Court based their decision on the fact that primaries are a means of deciding the party’s candidate, not an election to a government position. I support this decision, because the outcome would be very undemocratic. Elections must be decided by the voters.

Those who wish to bar Donald Trump from the Minnesota, will have a second chance after he is on the ballot. A similar court case in proceeding in Colorado.

Stay tuned,

Dave