Defence lawyers and prosecutors have repeatedly tussled in court over what classified evidence can be presented at trial, prompting a series of delays.

Some legal commentators have also suggested that Judge Cannon, who has often sided with Mr Trump's arguments, is deliberately slow-walking the case on behalf of the man who appointed her to the court.

In her Tuesday filing, the judge scheduled additional hearings over pending concerns, including one in late July, and declined to set a new date for the trial to begin.

Finalising a trial date at this juncture, she wrote, "would be imprudent and inconsistent with the Court's duty to fully and fairly consider the various pending pre-trial motions before the Court".

"The Court therefore vacates the current May 20, 2024, trial date (and associated calendar call), to be reset by separate order following resolution of the matters before the Court," she added.

Carl Tobias, a law expert at the University of Richmond, said that Judge Cannon had failed to act to limit the "delay tactics" of Mr Trump's team.

"Some complications and delays may have been inevitable... but the judge's failure to take control and move the case, or to request help is surprising," he said.

Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, is facing dozens of charges across three other criminal cases and is currently on trial in New York.

But he is also awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on his claims of presidential immunity, a decision he has argued could influence all the criminal cases against him.