The law moves reasonably fast on criminal cases. The lawsuit against Alex Jones was a civil case, which are inherently less urgent. Many cases were also delayed due to the recent pandemic.
What's your point? 18 months to resolve a criminal case seems reasonable. There's no particular need to move faster. Delays in criminal cases usually happen with the consent of the defendant since they consider it advantageous to have more time, especially if they're not being held in jail. Defendants can usually accelerate the process if they insist on maximally exercising their 6th Amendment rights but most don't.
