Former President Donald Trump’s case regarding charges linked to his alleged involvement in the Capitol Hill protest on January 6, 2021, has been removed from the U.S. District Court of Columbia’s public docket.
The case, which has been brought against the former president by Special Counsel Jack Smith and is overseen by Judge Tanya Chutkan, has been delayed due to Trump appealing his claims of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.
The Washington Post reported that legal experts have expected that the former president’s claim of presidential immunity would eventually cause the trial to be delayed. While Trump’s claim of presidential immunity was denied by Chutkan, the former president’s legal team has appealed the motion, asserting that Trump was still president at the time of the alleged offenses related to the January 6 Capitol Hill protest.
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According to The Post Millennial, while Smith requested the Supreme Court provide a quick ruling on Trump’s claim of presidential immunity, the Supreme Court rejected the Special Counsel’s request, allowing the lower courts to consider the former president’s appeal. As a result of the Supreme Court’s rejection of Smith’s request, the D.C. trial has been significantly delayed.
The Washington Post noted that Chutkan has announced all of the trial deadlines in Trump’s January 6 case will be suspended as the court waits for Trump’s motion to be considered by the appeals court. Trump’s presidential immunity appeal prevents Chutkan from being authorized to schedule any court dates or deadlines until his motion is either accepted or rejected by the higher courts.
The Washington Post reported that the delay in Trump’s January 6 case in Washington, D.C., likely means that Trump’s first criminal trial could take place in New York this spring. Trump has been charged with business fraud in New York, where a trial date has been tentatively scheduled for March 25. A pretrial hearing on February 15 has been scheduled by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. The pretrial hearing will determine whether the trial will proceed on schedule.
