Takeaways from a crucial day in court for Donald Trump’s criminal cases

CNN —

Donald Trump’s attorneys on Friday sought to delay one of his criminal trials until after the November election and disqualify the district attorney prosecuting another case against the former president, in a split screen that underscored how all of Trump’s criminal cases can’t help but overlap.

In Florida, Trump’s attorneys told Judge Aileen Cannon his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case should wait until after the 2024 election. At roughly the same time in Georgia, attorneys for Trump and his co-defendants made their final arguments to Judge Scott McAfee in a bid to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the Georgia racketeering case over her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Neither judge made a decision on Friday. But both hearings could have a significant impact on when – or whether – Trump will face trial in each of those two cases.

Trump’s legal calendar remains a jumble of pre-trial legal motions, with three of the four trials still in limbo. In addition to Florida and Georgia, special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case in Washington remains on hold with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments on Trump’s presidential immunity claims next month.

The only case that appears set: Trump’s New York criminal trial will begin March 25, which Trump’s attorneys said was a “firm” date in court Friday.

Here are takeaways from another busy day in Trump’s legal proceedings:

Defense attorneys accuse Willis and Wade of ‘fraud on this court’

A parade of defense attorneys in the Fulton County racketeering case argued that Willis should be disqualified, stating that she lied about her relationship with Wade and received benefits from him in the form of trips.

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