Elon loses round one. On Tuesday, the billionaire was swiftly defeated in a tussle over the timing of a trial that will determine whether he should be forced to buy Twitter, with the judge greenlighting an October start date. That’s far sooner than Team Musk—which says it needs time to conduct discovery—wanted. Judge Kathaleen McCormick didn’t mince words when she said Musk’s attempt to delay “fails at every level.” 

If the judge proceeds to act this quickly on other points of the case, the only question of note remaining will be who will play Musk in the made-for-TV courtroom drama series on this whole imbroglio. Perhaps his buddy Ari Emanuel will help cast it.