NEW YORK — Jay-Z's 17-month-old assault case was pushed back once again on Wednesday (April 18), as a prosecutor asked for more time to prepare for trial.

In a brief hearing, Judge Micki Scherer agreed to adjourn the case to May 16, which could be the start date for jury selection in a trial.

Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi-Orbon, who was assigned to prosecute the assault case only recently, said in court that she also plans to convene a grand jury soon to pursue charges in Jay-Z's recent gun possession case.

Jay-Z (born Shawn Carter) was present for the Wednesday morning hearing, as required, but the multiplatinum rapper managed to come and go without drawing much attention in the busy Criminal Courts building.

The new court date will come more than a year and a half after Jay-Z was arrested on charges that he stabbed music executive Lance "Un" Rivera during a nightclub dispute, on December 1, 1999. The rapper's lawyers, Murray Richman and Robert Kalina, said they weren't disturbed by the repeated delays in the case.

"I'm not at all concerned. To be fair, I was rather engaged for some time," Richman said, referring to his recent representation of rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, who was convicted of assault, reckless endangerment and gun possession (see "Shyne Sentencing Pushed Back To June").

Jay-Z was arraigned Friday night on unrelated gun charges that arose after police found a gun in his bodyguard's waistband (see "Jay-Z Says He's '100 Percent Innocent' After Arraignment").

He has professed his innocence in both cases, and addresses the assault case in his latest single and video, "Guilty Until Proven Innocent."