Fulton County district attorney wants Trump trial to begin March 4, 2024
Originally Published: 16 AUG 23 15:11 ET
Updated: 16 AUG 23 15:35 ET
By Marshall Cohen and Zachary Cohen, CNN
(CNN) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked a judge to set a trial date of March 4, 2024, for former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants.
Willis also asked to schedule arraignments for the defendants for the week of September 5, according to a court filing, and says the proposed dates “do not conflict” with Trump’s other criminal cases.
The filing indicates Willis is seeking to quickly initiate the process of sharing discovery with all 19 defendants and wants to keep her word to hold a trial within six months.
Willis asked the judge to give defendants until 10 days after the arraignment to opt into “reciprocal discovery.” If they opt in, all parties “shall serve discovery materials then in its possession” to opposing counsel no later than September 29.
The proposed schedule may be difficult, said Michael J. Moore, a former US attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
“It’s a fairy tale to think that’s going to happen,” Moore told CNN. “I think it’s just a PR move and she has no real belief this case will be ready in March.”
“There’s just no way that they’re going to be able to go through the motions and provide this discovery,” in that time frame, Moore added.
This story has been updated with additional details.
The-CNN-Wire
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