The right to a speedy trial is protected under the U.S. Constitution. That isn't intended to help the prosecution.
There is an Act called the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 under federal law. 18 USC §§ 3161-3174. The statutes require a trial within 70 days unless the defendant asks for longer. Having been Court appointed in a federal case in 1984, I became familiar with this. In the Penn Square Bank litigation in 1984, many (especially defense lawyers) were surprised when the principal defendant (Bill Patterson) had a crafty lawyer that insisted on the 70 days and surprised the US Attorney. The trial was short, and resulted in a quick verdict for defendant. You may remember that BP was a high flying energy lender that required borrowers to wear Mickey Mouse ears and drink bourbon from a cowboy boot to consummate the loan. He lent money to many that were not qualified.
So, I think the August date is the judge following the law until PDJT asks for a delay. He will, and it will happen. The lawyer in me says that perhaps Jack Smith ought to put up, or shut up in August. I think he would be stunned about the rapidity. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, with expected pre-trial motions about the Constitution, Presidential Records Act, classification powers, and briefing on applicable laws, there are likely to be many delays.
I once had a case where I knew we would file and the other side would throw several lawyers at it, and be able to outwork me. So, I prepped several hundred hours of briefs to counter what I thought they would raise prior to filing. They assigned four lawyers to it, and at the end of the 9 month from filing to settlement, I had outworked them by three hours. They were closing the gap very fast. I hope the lawyers for PDJT have been prepping for months since Smith was appointed.
Gwjack
A speedy trial would have ensured that Manson & company walked scot free!