WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump federal election interference trial Hakim will no longer start on March 4 in Washington Tanya Chutkan he wrote in a court order released Friday.
It’s unclear when exactly the trial will begin, but the case has been stalled for nearly two months — and Trump’s team wants to stay. on December 7and it happened issued on December 13 — which means the earliest the trial could begin would likely be late April or early May.
An early May start could mean the trial won’t end until after the Republican National Convention, scheduled for July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
A previous one orderChutkan repeated that it was total seven months It was “sufficient time” for Trump to prepare for the trial, not including the time the case was suspended.
Friday’s ruling comes as the D.C. Circuit Court has yet to rule on whether the former president immune from prosecution. A panel of federal appeals court judges heard oral arguments On January 9, and the work is on an accelerated schedule.
“The court will determine a new work schedule if and when the mandate is returned,” the court decision reads From Chutkan.
Trump’s lawyer and a spokesman for the special counsel both declined to comment.
Previously, there were instructions for March 4 start date would not go ahead as planned. Chutkan was scheduled to oversee proceedings in a separate case on April 2, according to court schedules, which could have overlapped with Trump’s if March 4 was still the start date. Thursday’s D.C. court calendar also did not list Chutka as overseeing a March 4 case.
Formerly the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith is estimated It will take “no more than four to six weeks” for the prosecution to present its case, and potential jurors The trial “could last approximately three months after jury selection is completed,” they said.
The original March 4 trial start date made for a high-profile case republican primaryJust one day before voters in 16 states go to the polls on Super Tuesday.
One of Trump’s lawyers, D. John Sauer argued The D.C. Circuit Court says the president can be tried for his personal conduct, but he says Trump is immune from prosecution under the Constitution’s separation of powers principle. Sauer said when Trump questioned the results of the 2020 election and addressed Congress block certificatehe was acting in an official capacity as president.
The president accepted this argument in his posts on the social network.
“The president of the United States must have absolute immunity, without which it is impossible for him to function properly,” Trump said. a post to Truth Social in January.
Eliminating the March 4 start date improves Trump’s chances New York The case will be the former president’s next trial over allegations that he paid hush money to adult movie star Stormi Daniels. Currently, this work will start on March 25.
Lawrence Hurley contributed.