Didn't Gates' lawyers already filed a request to withdraw, or is this a new set of lawyers.

Things are happening so fast, it's hard to keep up! Go Mueller!

Then Gates filed a motion on his own, asking that the judge's decision be delayed for a week. The week was up on Wednesday. Now the attorneys who want to withdraw have another hearing scheduled for tomorrow.

Hopefully we'll find out that they are allowed to withdraw and soon afterwards a plea deal is announced.

I should have dug deeper into the article.

unless uncontested or the withdrawal would not prejudice the defendant because of a scheduled trial setting. In this case, I think the trial is scheduled reasonably soon so Gates would have to get a new lawyer who would need at minimum 6-9 months to prepare. Forcing a new attorney to go to trial without adequate preparation would be unfair to the Defendant. So the judge needs to analyze whether the old team of lawyers should be 'let off the hook" or forced to go to trial

who has been seen with Gates, has not signed on as a lawyer to handle the trial, so the judge is not going to want to let the other lawyers off the hook.

The hope is that a plea deal will soon be announced and he won't need lawyers for a trial.

to act positively on their request to withdraw. Then last week Gates asked them to wait for another week.

Recommended.