Ryan Wesley Routh, the individual facing charges for a second attempt on former President Trump's life, has called for a postponement of his trial until December 2025, citing an "extraordinary volume" of discovery as the reason.
Routh's defense team argues that the current trial schedule is incompatible with his due process rights due to the sheer amount of discovery material.
According to The Post Millennial, the court document submitted on Sunday stated that the first batch of discovery material from the government was only made available to Routh's defense team on November 19. This was followed by two more batches, a significant portion of which was only accessible over the recent weekend.
The document further revealed that the government plans to produce additional discovery on two one-terabyte hard drives provided by the defense. The defense team was informed that the government's discovery process is still ongoing. "The pace and quantity of discovery production, and the need to process disclosed materials into a usable form, prevent counsel at this time from providing a definitive estimate of the number of hours required for review," the filing stated.
Routh's legal representatives argue that even with diligent efforts, it would be impossible to adequately prepare for a trial of this magnitude by the scheduled date of February 10, 2025. They contend that proceeding with the trial as planned, or anytime soon thereafter, could result in a miscarriage of justice, given the life imprisonment charges Routh faces. Consequently, they have requested a delay until December 2025.
The defense team also highlighted the challenges they faced with the third batch of discovery material. The digital transfer of these files was so large that it required intervention from the counsel's IT department and took several days to download, only completing on December 7.
"The discovery received by the defense to date is voluminous and rivals that of the largest cases handled in this District. The third discovery production alone contained nearly two terabytes of data in the form of large digital downloads from phones, tablets, electronic disks, and computers," the document stated.
The discovery material includes electronic data from 18 phones, five phone company records, data from three computers and three tablets, five electronic storage disks, expert data and analyses, travel records, 3,000 photographs, and more. The defense team anticipates that additional discovery will amount to several more terabytes of data. They have already provided the government with a one-terabyte hard drive for copying and processing additional discovery materials, but the government has requested another one-terabyte hard drive. The document also noted that Routh has not been able to review portions of the initial discovery that were sent to him in prison.
The magnitude of the discovery material and the challenges it presents to Routh's defense team underscore the complexity of the case. The defense's request for a delay highlights their commitment to ensuring a fair trial for Routh, despite the serious charges he faces. The court's decision on this matter will undoubtedly have significant implications for the course of the trial and the pursuit of justice.
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