Ryan Routh beforehand requested delaying the trial till a minimum of December of 2025.
Florida Choose Aileen Cannon has delayed trial for Ryan Routh, the person suspected of making an attempt to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, from February to September of 2025.
In an order issued on Dec. 23, Cannon cited “substantial discovery” or the quantity of proof to evaluate earlier than trial.
Her order units up a sequence of pre-trial deadlines, resulting in a two-week trial interval starting on Sept. 8.
Routh’s attorneys had requested extending the trial date till a minimum of December 2025, which Cannon mentioned was “extreme.”
“Though discovery is substantial due largely to the excessive variety of digital gadgets seized on this case [many from Defendant himself], the schedule afforded beneath greater than accounts for evaluate of such gadgets and of discovery normally,” Cannon mentioned.
Her order famous that the Division of Justice (DOJ) filed a discovery response on Dec. 20, “transmitting what seems to be all the excellent discovery … together with body-worn digicam footage, latest interviews, and extra jail communications.”
The U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of Florida argued that was extreme and famous that lots of the gadgets topic to discovery had been Routh’s personal.
Of the 18 cellphones the protection highlighted of their movement to delay, 17 belonged to the defendant, U.S. Legal professional John Shipley mentioned in a submitting to the courtroom on Dec. 10.
“And whereas protection counsel is probably not personally acquainted with these gadgets, the lion’s share of their contents doubtless has little relevance to any critical protection,” he mentioned.
In the course of the Dec. 11 standing convention, protection lawyer Kristy Militello mentioned Routh might have forgotten among the contents, which may additionally embrace data the protection attorneys had been unaware of.
Shipley’s submitting additionally cited the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, which supplies victims a proper to proceedings free from unreasonable delay.
In her order, Cannon disagreed that the delay could be unreasonable beneath that regulation.
She additionally mentioned that “the pursuits of justice served by this continuance outweigh the perfect curiosity of the general public and defendant in a speedy trial.”
On Dec. 11, Militello mentioned it may take months to interview specialists to judge Routh’s psychological well being. Cannon appeared skeptical and anxious that the courtroom wanted a extra concrete or particular timeline for getting skilled enter.
The protection additionally mentioned it sought entry to Routh’s childhood faculty information in an obvious try to seize his psychological well being historical past.
Shipley criticized the concept that the protection would wish to undergo decades-old faculty information.
“Madness is in the mean time of the crime,” Shipley mentioned, saying Routh was in a position to distinguish between proper and flawed on the time of the felony offense.
Earlier than the September trial date, the events have three pre-trial conferences scheduled for March 3, Aug. 8, and Sept. 2. Cannon additionally reserved Might 14–Might 15 for hearings on any unresolved pre-trial motions.
Cannon has overseen two circumstances involving Trump, together with his categorised paperwork case, which she dismissed in July over the legality of particular counsel Jack Smith’s appointment.
In October, she denied Routh’s movement for her recusal.
“I’ve by no means spoken to or met former President Trump besides in connection along with his required presence at an official judicial continuing, by way of counsel,” she said in her resolution.
Routh is presently being detained at a federal jail in Miami, Florida. The protection had raised considerations concerning the logistics of assembly with him, and Cannon’s order said that: “Defendant is in no way impeded from consulting with counsel throughout his pretrial detention.”
“Neither is there any foundation to imagine that Defendant is hampered in his potential to evaluate non-prohibited discovery supplies whereas in custody.”
In the course of the Dec. 11 listening to, the prosecution expressed concern about Routh doubtlessly tainting the jury pool with public statements defending himself.
In each Shipley’s file and on the listening to, the prosecution referenced a recorded cellphone name Routh constituted of jail.
“In a recorded Oct. 15, 2024, name from FDC-Miami, for instance, Routh informed a member of the family that he seeks publicity to assist his case at trial and to place out the phrase to jurors that he’s, in his view, an honorable particular person,” Shipley’s submitting learn.
Cannon set June 13 because the due date for a joint report on jury choice procedures and proposals.
Jacob Burg contributed to this report.