Is there no limits to how long a case can sit before going to trial? Or does it vary based on jurisdiction.
Pretty sure it's 18 months here (across Canada), otherwise it's deemed to violate the charter of rights (right to be tried within reasonable time) and the case gets thrown out.
Criminal trials in provincial court have to be wrapped up in 18 months, criminal trials in federal court have to be wrapped up in 30 months. Delay by the defence does not count toward that ceiling, nor does institutional delay that is not the fault of the crown prosecutor.
If it goes over those ceilings, it's automatically considered an unreasonable delay, unless the prosecutor can show that either a) some unforeseen event occurred (like an illness) or b) the case is especially complex in that the nature of the evidence or the issue require longer than usual trial times or preparation times.
10 years though, that's definitely a human rights violation under the UN declaration of human rights (to which the US is a signatory).
Didn't realize it was different under Federal, makes sense though.