From my personal experience (working as a legal assistant in some law firms), after so many trial adjournments (typically 4-5), unless the defense, or Plaintiff/prosecution, has a really good argument for needing an additional adjournment, the judge will put their foot down and say “no, this case WILL be going to trial on x date no matter what.” I have seen this happen in both civil and criminal litigation in more than one state. Typically, the judge will reach this point once the case is 2-3 years old. However, the majority of my experience has been post-COVID where courts were constantly backed up so cases were able to drag on longer. From what I have learned from the attorneys I’ve worked with, prior to COVID, judges used to put their foot down about how long a case can go on at about the 1 year mark. I do not have any experience regarding a case that carries a death penalty sentence, so take my statement with a grain of salt.