Trump arrives in court for Mar-a-Lago classified documents hearing as Fani Willis probe draws to close: Live

Trump’s classified documents trial date could be set today

Two key hearings are taking place today in Donald Trump’s criminal cases, as Judge Aileen Cannon will consider a trial date for the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and the disqualification hearing of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis enters its final stage.

The former president is attending the hearing in Florida federal court in the classified documents case, where the judge could agree with the prosecution’s request for the trial to begin in July or Mr Trump’s request for August – or neither.

The schedules of the many cases brought against the former president at the state and federal levels are getting increasingly entangled. The former president’s plea for “presidential immunity” in his federal election interference case will now be heard by the conservative-leaning US Supreme Court.

Oral arguments will take place on 22 April in the middle of the primary election calendar and amid the compressed schedule of court battles as prosecutors try to keep them on track ahead of the 2024 election.

Meanwhile, Illinois has become the third state, alongside Colorado and Maine, to remove him from its ballots, under the 14th Amendment.

Donald Trump may be the current 2024 Republican frontrunner but his mounting legal problems are threatening his chance of even appearing on the presidential election ballot in some states.

Political activists and government watchdog organisations have pushed for states to bar the former president from being an option for voters by invoking a little-known provision of the 14th Amendment.

Section Three of the amendment prohibits those who take part in insurrections or who aided enemies of the United States government from