Yesterday was the first hearing in the Justice Department’s lawsuit to block AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile USA. And even though the judge had reportedly told both parties to be prepared to discuss settlement at yesterday’s first hearing in the matter, it looks like no such terms were discussed, as AT&T is hoping to bring the case to trial sooner than later.

“We’re seeking a prompt trial because we’re very interested in closing this transaction,” said a lawyer for the Death Star. “We need to have the cloud of uncertainty removed. We’re already a month beyond where we want to be.”

Of course, “prompt” in the legal world doesn’t mean what it does to most people, so the judge has set a trial date for Feb. 13.

The judge has set aside six weeks for the trial and has asked both sides to trim their witness lists — each party has already proposed interviewing 30 possible witnesses before trial — and cutting down on the amount of evidence they plan to introduce.

“This case is getting longer and longer every time I ask,” said the judge.

Last week, attorneys general for seven states joined in the DOJ’s lawsuit. Sprint has filed a closely aligned lawsuit of its own, though it admits that its complaint will likely be doomed if the DOJ case fails.

AT&T Wants ‘Prompt Trial’ in T-Mobile Trial [Bloomberg]

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