Trial Date Set For Indicted Atlanta Educators

May 5^th, 2014 is the day and barring any plea agreements, how will Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter handle a trial with thirty-five defendants?

It won’t be easy says WABE legal analyst Page Pate.

“I think the judge just needed a trial date so that he could put something in the schedule and let folks know that we expect the trials to occur by this date.  But I think the judge will gather everybody up as the date gets closer and see who’s still in the, case needing a trial and who isn’t.”

So far more than half of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Judge Baxter also set some other key dates.

For example, whatever evidence the prosecution has must be ready by July 3^rd.

“In a case this complicated, the state is going to have a lot of evidence. They’re going to have recordings; they’re going to have documents, I understand it is voluminous. So what the judge wants to happen is for the state to produce all of that material, give it over to the defense lawyers as soon as possible so that the defense lawyers can then review it and make decisions accordingly.”

And that also applies for any evidence the defense may have.

Meanwhile, the educators and their attorneys will not be prohibited from speaking publicly about the case.

The judge denied district attorney Paul Howard’s request for a gag order on the defense attorneys.

And he ended the agreement the defendants made not to talk to the media as a condition of their bonds.