What You May Not Know About the Right to a Speedy Trial

Individuals have many familiar Constitutional rights. Freedom of Speech and the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination are notable. Nobody but the individual may claim or waive those rights. So, for example, I cannot appear in court and demand that you testify against yourself.

The right to a speedy trial is an exception to that rule. This right applies to individuals AND to society. The courts have repeatedly held that justice is best served when a defendant’s trial occurs as soon as reasonably practicable. The benefits to society of a speedy trial are many and varied. A delayed trial may affect the availability of witnesses and memories of particular events. In more egregious cases, it limits the amount of time a defendant can use to intimidate witnesses or to attempt to try the case in the media.

Interestingly, the ability (and duty) to schedule a trial as soon as practicable is one of the most valuable arrows in a judge’s quiver. In some cases, it is impractical to hold a defendant in jail pending trial. Assessing fines for improper conduct may not deter wealthy individuals. And, most significantly, issuing a gag order may arguably violate the defendant’s free speech rights.

In cases where the alternatives are ineffective, society is protected by having the trial date accelerated. A judge frequently asks both the prosecutor and defendant for a proposed trial date and, absent a clear abuse of discretion, the judge’s determination will stand.

Sometimes defendants desperately want a trial delayed. Well-disciplined prosecutors can short circuit many delay attempts. Consider what the prosecutors in the DC case against Donald Trump did.

First, they only named one defendant. The more defendants there are in a case, the more individual delay arguments that can be raised.

Second, they limited the charges to those that have a strong history of judicial interpretation, even though there were other potential charges available to them. Many delays are caused by a defendant claiming that the charges they face are “unique.”

Third, they provided trial evidence (often called “discovery”) to the defendant promptly and well outlined, giving them more time to prepare a defense. 

Parenthetically, you will hear that there are millions of pages of discovery that have been turned over. Defendants claim that it will take years to read it all. This is a red herring. The state-of-the-art in reviewing discovery is to use computer-aided, key word searches. The idea that there are paralegals actually sitting down and reading millions of pages harkens back to a bygone era. It is simply unnecessary and no longer happens in the real world. Sounds good, though.

On August 28, the judge is scheduled to hear arguments about when the trial should begin. Prosecutors will argue in favor of a speedy trial, suggesting a highly aggressive date of January 2, 2024. Defendants will counter with a date of April 2026 or the Rapture, whichever occurs first.

The judge will set the trial date based largely on the elements discussed above.