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Washington
CNN
—
A trial date in Washington, D.C., in the federal election destruction case against former President Donald Trump has been postponed as an appeal over his presidential power continues, according to a new court order in the case.
A trial date was originally set for March 4, but a federal appeal argues that President Trump should be immune from prosecution because of his role as president leading up to the January 6, 2021 attacks on the United States. The case was suspended for the court to consider. Houses of Parliament. The Court of Appeals has not yet ruled on immunity.
Although not formally announced until Friday’s order by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, it became increasingly unlikely that the March trial date would be maintained. Mr. Trump’s team complained in January that prosecutors were continuing to file court filings despite a pause in the case, and Mr. Chutkan told Mr. Smith’s team that the He warned that the submission should not continue.
The delay is a victory for the former president, who has repeatedly lobbied to have the trial postponed until after the 2024 presidential election, but it is not yet clear whether he will be successful in delaying the trial until after the November vote.
Two of Trump’s advisers told CNN that the former president’s team continues to push for further delays, and that the main focus of the latest court order is that Chutkan does not set a new trial date.
Delays were expected by parties as well as court officials, especially as each day passed without a ruling from the D.C. Circuit on presidential immunity. The court has been hearing the case for almost a month, and a decision could take weeks, if not months. The D.C. Circuit’s decision will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court.
As part of Friday’s order, Chutkan also said prospective jurors who were asked to appear in court next week to fill out written questionnaires will no longer have to do so.
“If the power of attorney is returned, the court will set a new schedule,” Chutkan wrote in his order.
President Trump is facing four charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct official proceedings, in the election-subversion case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. The former president has maintained his innocence.
The federal case against Trump had been scheduled to be the first of several criminal charges he faces.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg plans to put Trump on trial in late March on charges that he falsified business records to hide hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s team and legal experts view the hush-money lawsuit as much weaker than other lawsuits, advisers to the former president told CNN. By putting the Bragg trial first, the campaign sets the stage for its core argument that the trials are purely political and aimed at hurting Mr. Bragg’s chances in the general election. The advisors added that they felt it would be helpful to the public.
Court proceedings in his case over the handling of Mar-a-Lago’s post-presidency documents are currently focused on the use of classified evidence in the case. The trial is scheduled for late May, but these proceedings may require a postponement.
Eileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge in the Mar-a-Lago papers case in South Florida, left open the possibility of reconsidering the trial schedule at a March 1 hearing.
The state-level judge overseeing President Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy in Georgia has not yet set a trial date.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
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