WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge has set a March 4 trial date for Donald Trump in the federal case in Washington charging the former president with trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The decision from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a defense request to push the trial back until April 2026, about a year and a half after the 2024 election, but also sets it later than the January date proposed by special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
Chutkan made it clear to both sides at the outset of Monday’s status conference that she considered neither proposal acceptable.
“These proposals are obviously very far apart,” she said. “Neither of them is acceptable.”
Trump, a Republican, was charged earlier this month in a four-count indictment with scheming to undo his loss to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the 2020 election.
The federal election subversion prosecution is one of four criminal cases against Trump. Smith’s team has brought a separate federal case accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida, property, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing to give them back. That case is currently set for trial next May 20.
Trump also faces state cases in New York and Georgia. Manhattan prosecutors have charged him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to a porn actor who has said she had an extramarital affair with Trump, while prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, have charged Trump and 18 others in a racketeering conspiracy aimed at undoing that state’s 2020 election.
Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, surrendered Thursday in that case, posing with a scowling face for the first mug shot in American history of a former U.S. president. He has claimed the investigations of him are politically motivated and are an attempt to damage his chances of winning back the White House.
Get ready for every news channel to talk about March Madness for the next six months
US election year is barely tolerable as it is. This one's going to be something special.
I can't understand what made January unacceptable. That's 5 months away. What really is the difference between that and 6 weeks later?
How is it possible that they were able to go to court this fast??? I've read cases where suspects who couldn't make bail have sat in jail longer than that waiting for their court date, only to find out the prosecution didn't even have any evidence against them.
That's how they punish the innocent. Better yet is being offered release for time served, or heading back to jail for X years waiting for a trial to prove your innocence
This seemed to be popular information when I posted it (ahem) "elsewhere". Thought it might be welcome to have here.
If you're trying to keep track of where we're at in the Trump prosecutions:
Updated 8/28/2023
Georgia
13 state felonies
Election Interference
Investigation
Indictment
Arrest <- You Are Here
All 19 defendants have surrendered.
Trial - Fani Willis has now requested a trial date of October 23rd after originally asking for a trial date of 3/4/2024, one day before Super Tuesday..
A judge has now confirmed an October 23rd trial date for Kenneth Chesebro. But ONLY for Chesebro as he requested an expedited trial.
Sidney Powell has also requested an expedited trial, no ruling on that yet.
Conviction
SentencingWashington, D.C.
4 federal felonies
January 6th Election Interference
Investigation
Indictment
Arrest <- You Are Here
Trial - March 4th, 2024, one day before Super Tuesday primaries.
Conviction
SentencingNew York
34 state felonies
Stormy Daniels Payoff
Investigation
Indictment
Arrest <- You Are Here
Trial - March 25th, 2024
Conviction
SentencingFlorida
40 federal felonies
Top Secret Documents charges
Investigation
Indictment
Original indictment was for 37 felonies.
3 new felonies were added on July 27, 2023.
Arrest <- You Are Here
Trial - May 20, 2024
Conviction
SentencingOther grand juries, such as for the documents at Bedminster, or the Arizona fake electors, have not been announced.
The E. Jean Carroll trial for sexual assault and defamation where Trump was found liable and ordered to pay $5 million before immediately defaming her again resulting in a demand for $10 million is not listed as it's a civil case and not a crimimal one. That trial date is currently set for January 15th, the same day as the Iowa caucus.