For Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt, New York state's new discovery laws enacted in January 2020, which require an accelerated sharing of evidence with defense attorneys to help expedite a potential trial, seem to be having the opposite effect.

"Cases do tend to be a little bit more protracted in time than they used to be to get from indictment to trial," said Schmidt.

Case in point, the state of New York against Hadi Matar, the man charged in the stabbing of author Salman Rushdie in front of a packed amphitheater at Chautauqua Institution last August.

Since then, Schmidt says there has been a mountain of evidence to gather and sift through from a number of different police agencies.

​"We had to digest those materials and then we had to send them out to the defense," Schmidt said. "And now the defense is reviewing those materials so they can make whatever applications for legal relief they feel is appropriate under the circumstances."

Defense attorneys were supposed to make those arguments before the judge back on March 6, which could include suppression of evidence or certain statements, but they asked for more time.

"We've been getting material delivers to us by the district attorney’s office and it requires so much time to just go through everything and to verify all that information," said Chief Public Defender Ned Barone.

The judge granted the request and rescheduled the hearing for May 2.

Barone is appreciative of the extension.

"In all fairness to both sides, you want the opportunity to make sure you've got the time and that you're exhaustive with the review of all the discovery. It gives us the opportunity to make sure we check, double check, triple check everything," said Barone.

Schmidt says he anticipated such a move as the defense should have the opportunity to investigate and question the material. Having said that, he wants to head to trial.

"You know, cases don't generally get better with time. We've fully complied with the law, that our witnesses are available and we are ready to go," said Schmidt.

Until May 2, Schmidt says his office will continue to gather material and turn it over. He says there may actually be one more hearing after that.

"Then we're full steam ahead. We're going to be placed on the trial calendar," said Schmidt.

Both sides are hopeful that will be this fall.

In addition to Rushdie, event moderator Henry Reese was also injured during the attack. He is said to be doing OK.