The Michael Jackson child molestation case will begin on January 31 of the New Year as planned, a judge ruled today. Jackson’s defence team asked a Santa Maria judge Monday, the start of the pre-trail hearings, to either throw out the case or delay it by several months so they could review 22,000 pages of evidence.

His lawyers had better start reading those pages quickly, because Judge Rodney Melville said delaying it any further would mean more evidence to review and more delays, and the trial would never begin.

Jackson will be in court during the jury selection process next month, but was not present, nor required to be, in court Monday.

Jackson’s lawyers argued that the trial should be delayed because of “outrageous government conduct.” They previously tried to remove Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon but that was also rejected by the judge.

This time, Defence attorney Thomas Mesereau said Sneddon had an unfair motive in fighting this case?an obsession with bring down a celebrity.

“This is being done because Mr. Sneddon wants glory and doesn’t like Michael Jackson,” he said.

Jackson has battled Sneddon in court before over past child molestation charges against the world’s most popular pop singer. Jackson even sang about Sneddon in a song called “D.S.” from 1995: “He don’t do half what he say, Tom Sneddon is a cold man.”

Sneddon has said previously that he was aware of the song but had never heard it.

In a separate motion, also rejected, Jackson’s team said they needed more time to review the 22,000 pages which had just recently been presented to them. They said the prosecution took too long to present them with the evidence.

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

According to the AP, the trial is expected to take four months.






Related Stories: