(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan implied on Monday that the 2020 criminal case against former President Donald Trump might face a delay until just before the 2024 election, Politico reported.
Chutkan, a Jamaican-born judge, indicated that her plans to be out of the country later in the year might be interrupted if the rescheduled Trump trial, currently in the appeals process, coincides with her stay abroad.
“I hope not to be in the country on August 5,” Chutkan stated during a conference in an unrelated case, as reported by Politico. She clarified that she would stay in the U.S. only because “I’m in trial in another matter that has not yet returned to my calendar.”
Chutkan appeared to reference the case led by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Trump, focusing on alleged unlawful efforts to question the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Despite Smith’s efforts to maintain a March 4 trial date, the former president argued that this date directly hinders his presidential candidacy since Super Tuesday, where multiple states select their presidential nominees, is scheduled for March 5.
While Trump appeals the indictment, Chutkan postponed the March 4 trial on Feb. 2 and instructed Smith to stop filing evidence while the higher courts hear the former president’s defense.
Trump appealed the criminal prosecution based on allegations of presidential immunity, asserting that his attempts to question the results were part of his official duties as the sitting president.
In December, Chutkan rejected Trump’s defense, prompting an appeal. However, later that month, Smith filed a failed emergency motion with the Supreme Court, requesting the justices to bypass the appeals process and determine whether Trump is shielded from criminal prosecution.
The justices rejected Smith’s plea, and while it might hear the case later, it remains on appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
