The Washington, DC, trial date for the federal election subversion trial involving the former president Donald Trump has been postponed due to ongoing challenges regarding the authority of the presidency in accordance with a recent court decision regarding the matter.
Trial dates were initially scheduled to be March 4, but the trial was delayed while the federal appeals court is considering arguments made by Trump who claim he is protected from prosecution due to his presidency role prior in the event of January 6, 2021 incident that took place of the US Capitol. The appeals court is yet to make a decision on immunity.
Although not officially announced at the time of US District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s ruling on Friday, it seemed increasingly doubtful that the trial date could be held. The month of January saw Trump’s staff protested that prosecutors were continuing to file court documents regardless of the pause in the case and Chutkan advised Smith’s team they could not proceed without her approval.
This delay represents a victory over the previous president who has worked repeatedly to postpone this trial to after 2024 presidential election. But it’s unclear whether he’ll succeed in delaying the trial until after the November elections.
Two Trump advisors have said that Trump’s administration continues to press for additional delays, and that the main goal in the court’s latest order is the fact that Chutkan has not yet set an additional trial date.
The delay was expected by the parties and even court officials, especially because each day has passed without a ruling on the part of the DC Circuit on presidential immunity. The court was able to hear the case about one month ago, and it could take weeks, if not months to make a decision. It’s likely that the decision of the DC Circuit will be appealed to the Supreme Court.
As part of her decision the day before, Chutkan further stated that prospective jurors, who were asked to attend the court next week to complete the questionnaire in writing they would not be required to fill out the questionnaire.
“The court will determine the new timetable if and when the mandate is rescinded,” Chutkan wrote in the court order.
Trump is charged with four counts in Special counsel Jack Smith’s subversion of the election, which includes colluding to defraud United States and to obstruct an official process. Trump has declared himself not to be guilty.
The federal trial against Trump was set to start first among the criminal indictments he is facing.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is set to bring Trump to court in late March over alleged falsification of documents to conceal the hush money payments made for Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s staff, as well legal experts view the hush money trial as less shaky than other cases, the advisers of the former president have told that Trump’s campaign believes engaging in the Bragg trial first will allow them to prepare for their claim that the trials are entirely political and are designed to undermine thez chances of winning a general election, advisers explained.
The court proceedings regarding document handling post his presidency Mar-a-Lago are currently focused on the use of evidence classified to support the claim. The trial is scheduled for agenda for the end of May, however it could need to be delayed because of the instances.
The Mar-a-Lago documents the case judge, Aileen Cannon is who is a Trump appointee in South Florida and has remained open to the possibility of revisiting the trial date during a hearing scheduled for the 1st of March.
The state-level judge who oversees Trump’s 2020 election plot in Georgia is yet to decide on the date for trial.
