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pleaded not guilty to the slew of federal charges against him

 for storing dozens of classified documents at his Florida resort and refusing to return them to the FBI and the National Archives.

Special counsel Jack Smith wants the trial to move quickly — 

a “speedy” trial legally begins within 70 days

 — but there's a lot that could get in the way of that. 

Here's what you need to know about the legal next steps in this case:

Trump’s co-defendant and aide Walt Nauta was processed in the Miami courthouse Tuesday alongside Trump, but did not have the legal representation to enter a plea for himself. He is expected to appear in court on June 27.

Beyond that, there will be a series of status conferences and other procedural matters, including any pretrial motions regarding the classified information at the center of the case or other procedural protests from the Trump legal team. 

Trump’s lawyers might file motions alleging selective prosecution, for example, that could delay the trial potentially even after the 2024 election. 

Another point of contention could be the government’s use of the “crime-fraud exception,” which overrides attorney-client privilege when that communication is in furtherance of a crime. The indictment against Trump includes the allegation that he led one of his lawyers to mislead investigators in the case.

On the government's to-do list: provide a list of witnesses with whom Trump and Nauta are not allowed to communicate about the case except through attorneys. That includes each other. 

Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche represented Trump at the arraignment hearing on Tuesday and are expected to continue on as part of his legal team. 

But Trump has a history of being a challenging client

Two lawyers who had been working with Trump on this case 

quit the day that the indictment was unsealed

, and Trump's options for legal representation are narrowing. The case requires specific knowledge around national security, for example, and other high-profile lawyers are reportedly not willing to work on the case. 

This is not the only investigation of Trump:

Crime, Law and Justice

NPR Washington Desk

Author

Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 37 counts against him. While special counsel Jack Smith wants a speedy trial, Trump's lawyers could file motions that would delay it.

Here are the legal next steps in the Trump documents case

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