Trump’s March 4 DC election subversion trial likely delayed: report

As former President Donald Trump awaits a federal appeals court's ruling on whether or not he's immune from prosecution, Judge Tanya Chutkan, who's presiding over Trump's January 6 criminal case, on Thursday indicated the March 4 trial date will likely be pushed back, Politico reports.

Politico's Kyle Cheney reports via X (formerly Twitter), "NEW: Judge Chutkan all but ackowledged today that her March 4 trial date won't hold, as Trump's 'immunity' appeal continues to grind through the appellate courts."

According to Cheney's and Politico's Josh Gerstein's report, in Chutkan's order, she "barred special counsel Jack Smith from filing substantive new motions while Trump is seeking to have the case thrown out on 'presidential immunity' grounds."

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The judge noted that "she set the March trial date last August to allow Trump and his attorneys seven months to prepare," but her timeline was placed on hold "in December, after Trump appealed Chutkan's determination that Trump was not immune from criminal prosecution. The appeal also meant that all of Chutkan's previously established deadlines for pretrial filings were paused as well, freeing Trump from any legal steps he might need to or choose to take in advance of trial."

Cheney and Gerstein report:

Critical deadlines related to the scheduled trial have already passed and others loom. Potential jurors were told to report on Feb. 9 to fill out detailed questionnaires, but that date seems in jeopardy at this point unless the appeals court and potentially the Supreme Court move with unusual haste.

Chutkan could face a scheduling challenge for the trial if the delays push it back by more than a few weeks. Trump is currently scheduled to go on trial May 20 in Florida in another case brought by Smith. That one accuses the former president of illegally retaining classified information after leaving office and refusing to return it, among other charges.

The Politico reporters note, "In recent weeks, many legal analysts questioned the feasibility of the March 4 trial date in light of the pending D.C. Circuit appeal and the timing of expected efforts to seek review from the Supreme Court."

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Politico's full report is here.