A federal judge overseeing former President Trump’s election interference case has delayed its start date indefinitely due to his claim of presidential immunity being upheld on appeal.
The trial date has been scheduled for May 2024, which would place it squarely within the Republican primaries and potential Trump reelection campaign of 2024.
Judge Chutkan Postpones Trial
Tanya Chutkan, the judge overseeing former President Trump’s upcoming federal election interference trial, officially postponed its start date of March 4 indefinitely on Friday. Chutkan noted that once his mandate returns, court would set a new timeframe.
After months of speculation on how the Supreme Court might rule in Donald Trump’s appeal for presidential immunity in this case, they have sent it back down for final resolution by lower federal appeals courts as to whether or not Trump can stand trial for election interference activities.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith could have moved forward with other trials against Donald Trump, such as an upcoming New York case regarding hush money payments, but his attorneys requested a delay so they can defend him on behalf of campaign finance violations that might occur while in office.
The Case Remains on Hold
Judge Amy Berman Jackson has since removed March 4 as the trial date, saying instead that her court would set a new one “if and when” the Supreme Court rules on Donald Trump’s claim of immunity as president from prosecution.
Due to the change, prospective jurors won’t receive questionnaires next week as planned. Special counsel Jack Smith had attempted to go around appeals court proceedings by asking the Supreme Court directly for rulings on immunity issues; however, that request was turned down.
Since his trial date in Washington was postponed, his first criminal trial is likely to be the one over his hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in New York; that trial had originally been scheduled to start March 25, but the judge in that case has already postponed it twice.
Trump’s Immunity Appeal Continues
Case against Donald Trump for election interference and mishandling sensitive national security documents at his Florida resort has been delayed for months and could last for even longer. Trump’s lawyers have attempted to speed up proceedings by arguing he should be exempted from prosecution because of his status as president, however federal judge Tanya Chutkan denied these requests and now awaits a decision from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about wider immunity appeal.
An appeals court three-judge panel will soon issue its ruling on whether being president confers immunity from criminal charges for those facing them. If the panel rules against Trump and in favor of prosecutors, Trump could potentially pursue further legal review through the Supreme Court, leading to even longer delays. As part of an order made Friday by Judge Chutkan cancelling March 4 as trial date; she will reschedule it after immunity issues have been addressed; she has also suspended key pretrial deadlines suggesting she will likely move slowly with this case once it gets back underway.
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