Oregon Standoff Latest: Judge Says Trial Stays on Schedule

The show will go on as scheduled.

That's the word from Federal Judge Anna Brown.

She ruled Wednesday that the trial of Ammon Bundy and nearly dozen others in the case of the 41-day armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will start on Sept. 7, 2016.

As scheduled.

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Last month Bundy switched defense lawyers, and the new lawyers argued that his defense has been hampered by their access to him being limited.

They argued that the the decision to keep Bundy behind bars after his January arrest was wrong.

They pointed to a recent decision by the court to dismiss the count of the indictment that charged defendants with possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence.

Bundy's lawyers said that if he's not charged with a crime of violence, he should be allowed out on bail.

"It was error to have detained Defendant from the outset of this case, and Defendant should have been out on release able to review discovery, confer with his lawyers unimpeded, and assist in assembling the resources for his defense," they wrote."Defendant requires additional time to resolve the unfairness presented by the government's actions before he should be forced to stand trial."

They also argued that they need more time to investigate the case and present their client with strategy options.

Bundy's lawyers said that there may be a "need to change his litigation approach and potentially revisit significant defense options."

Based on this, they had said, the trial should be delayed.

Two of Bundy's co-defendants — Jason Patrick and Jon Ritzenheimer — also filed papers waiving their right to a speedy trial and asking for a delay.

Bundy's lawyers had also asked for more time to prepare arguments for their client's release, saying that preparing motions and getting ready to argue for his release was taking more time than they had.

Brown was buying none of it.

"It's hard to believe that Ammon Bundy wasn't already fully aware of the factual basis on which the government wishes to proceed,'' Brown said.

It was also pointed out that Bundy and other defendants had initially moved to have the trial significantly earlier and that they had fought the court designating the case as a "complex" one.

The judge said she had not seen any evidence that the defendants would not be able to prepare for trial in the nine weeks remaining.

Prosecutors also pointed out that the current trial date was selected in part to give several of the defendants a chance to prepare for a February trial.

Several of the defendants in Oregon also face charges in Nevada related to the 2014 armed standoff with federal officers in Bunkerville.

As for the argument by Bundy's lawyers that they needed more time to prepare to argue for his release, Brown pointed out that several of Bundy's co-defendants — represented by just one lawyer — have been able to successfully argue for the release of their clients.

And get their motions done on time.