Charleston Church shooter Dylann Roof appears in court for trial date

The 21-year-old did not enter a plea and received a trial date for 2016

(Associated Press)

The confessed shooter of the massacre at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina appeared in court on Thursday morning.

Dylann Storm Roof appeared for a 25-minute hearing to receive his trial date for the racially motivated shooting which took the lives on nine black parishioners at the Emanuel AME Church.

The 21-year-old did not enter a plea and his public defender Ashley Pennington said she would not seek bond for the defendant.

Ms Pennington maintained that Roof was fit to stand trial.

"[He has] his online GED, he can read, he writes, he understands. I don't see any issue with competency at this time."

Circuit Court Judge J.C. Nicholson upheld his previous gag order, ruling that documents involved in the case may not be made public. However, the Associated Press plans to file a motion to challenge the gag order.

Mr Nicholson set a trial date for 11 July 2016.