BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Attorneys for a man accused of killing four University of Idaho students have asked that his trial be delayed, citing in part a recent NBC “Dateline” special that they called prejudicial toward Bryan Kohberger and a need for additional time to prepare his defense.

The filing dated Tuesday said moving forward with an August trial would infringe upon Kohberger’s constitutional rights. It said attorneys need more time to review discovery, complete investigations and prepare for trial.

There was no immediate ruling on the request, which comes days after the judge overseeing the case, Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler, said he wanted to identify anyone who may have violated a gag order by leaking information from the investigation to news organizations or anyone else not directly involved with the case.

Hippler last week ordered prosecutors and defense attorneys to provide a list of everyone who might have had access to the previously unreported information about Kohberger’s internet search history and other details that were featured in the “Dateline” episode that aired May 9.

Kohberger’s attorneys raised concerns about the special and an upcoming book on the case set for release in mid-July. Their filing states the blurb for the book “suggests that the apparent Dateline leak was not the only violation of this Court’s non-dissemination order.”

“A continuance is necessary to fully investigate the leaks and to mitigate the prejudicial effects of such inflammatory pretrial publicity occurring so close to the current trial date,” the filing said.

Kohberger, 30, a former graduate student in criminal justice at Washington State University, is charged in the stabbing deaths of University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. The four were found dead in a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

A not-guilty plea was entered on Kohberger’s behalf. Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.

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Idaho’s Stibnite gold mine cleared another major federal permit hurdle Monday. The mine would be the only source of antimony in the country and is a site of environmental controversy.

In 2016, Perpetua Resources began the process to reopen the mine. Eighteen planned years of open pit mining would extract millions of pounds of gold, silver and antimony.

Federal regulators issued the project’s permit under the Clean Water Act on Monday – its last remaining permit needed. The Biden Administration and U.S. Forest Service gave final approval to the mine’s Environmental Impact Statement earlier this year.

In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to “increase American Mineral Production.” A month later, Stibnite was recognized by the Trump administration as a critical mining project for its antimony, which is used in ammunition, semiconductors and solar panels. It hasn’t been mined in the United States since 2001.

Sydney Anderson is Idaho Rivers United’s Mining and Policy Manager. The organization is one of several environmental groups opposed to the project.

Anderson says Perpetua’s current water treatment plan does not account for how climate change and air pollution could cause lasting harm to state water quality.

“Twenty, 25 years in the future, there’s just no good way of telling what the impacts will be, except that what they’re modeling now is probably a very, very conservative estimate.”

The mine also sits on ancestral land of the Nez Perce tribe, which stopped its salmon restoration work in the area when mining permits were approved.

Anderson says Perpetua’s plans to dredge up and reroute major sections of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River undermine the tribe’s decades of work restoring salmon habitats and spawning grounds.

“That can really cause issues with water temperature and water quality in oversimplification because it’s not connected to natural hydrology. So the natural water flow isn’t in that area anymore when you change the route of a river,” Anderson said.

Perpetua estimates antimony will make up only four percent of profits from minerals mined. The rest will come from gold and silver.

The company says there’s enough antimony in the mine to meet around one-third of the country’s demand for six years. Anderson said that isn’t enough to justify more mining.

Perpetua says it is taking steps to protect water quality and salmon habitats. In its 2023 environmental report, the company said it aims to eliminate legacy pollution from the mining area that could leak into rivers, and restore salmon routes disturbed by previous mining activities.

Perpetua has been removing legacy pollution alongside the EPA and U.S. Forest Service since 2021, with cleanup expected to conclude this year. The Environmental Protection Agency tried to designate the area as a hazardous Superfund site after finding high concentrations of heavy metals like arsenic in the water. Idaho has yet to accept the designation.

The federal permitting council expects to completely approve the Stibnite Gold Project by the end of July.