A Washington, DC federal judge set Donald Trump’s DC trial related to his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election for March 4, the day before Super Tuesday.
Summary
A Washington, DC federal judge set Donald Trump’s DC trial related to his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election for March 4, 2024, the day before Super Tuesday.
- Judge Tanya Chutkan denied the Trump legal team’s request to push the trial to April 2026, about 18 months after the 2024 presidential election. Her March date is also later than the Jan. 2, 2024 date requested by special counsel Jack Smith.
- “These proposals are very far apart and for reasons I’ll get into shortly none of them is acceptable,” Chutkan said during the hearing. “While Mr. Trump has the right to prepare, the public has a right to prompt and efficient resolution of this matter.”
- “This man’s liberty and life is at stake and he deserves an adequate representation,” Trump attorney John Lauro argued unsuccessfully. “We cannot do this in the time frame the government has outlined.”
- Prosecutors countered, saying much of the evidence is public record including Trump’s statements and they had already handed over most of the 12.8 million pages of evidence in the case.
- Trump’s arraignment in the Georgia election case has been set for next Wednesday, Sept. 6. Trump and his 18 co-defendants will all be arraigned in 15-minute increments.
- The New York Times asked if Trump’s upcoming trials will “break” Americans’ “faith” in juries. A recent poll found Americans have more trust in juries than any other group in the judicial systems. That same poll found Republicans, Democrats, and independents all have concerns that courts won’t be able to seat impartial juries for Trump’s trials.
- CNN reported federal prosecutors used Trump’s frequent social media posts about the case against him when arguing for an early trial date. Prosecutor Molly Gaston noted, “On a near daily basis, the defendant posts on social media about this case,” which in their eyes makes holding a trial soon even more important.
- According to NBC News, prosecutors also argued Trump’s proposal to push the trial to 2026 would “deny the public its right to a speedy trial.” “In service of a proposed trial date in 2026 that would deny the public its right to a speedy trial, the defendant cites inapposite statistics and cases, overstates the amount of new and non-duplicative discovery, and exaggerates the challenge of reviewing it effectively,” wrote Jack Smith’s legal team.
- Judge Chutkan was uninterested in how the trial date would affect Trump’s presidential campaign, the New York Post noted. She told Trump attorney John Lauro that, like any other defendant, he would have to “make the date work regardless of his schedule.”
- The Wall Street Journal covered the preparations underway in world capitals ahead of a potential second Trump term. Paris and Tokyo are reportedly anxious for what they view as “an erratic leader with little interest in cultivating long-term ties” to stand against Russia and China, while Beijing and Moscow see the benefits of a second Trump term and believe they can extract concessions from him thanks to his willingness to make deals – just like they did last time.
- A new AP-NORC poll illustrated the weaknesses of President Biden heading into reelection – if Republicans nominate a candidate who can capitalize on them. According to National Review, 77% of all Americans think Biden is too old to be effective if he wins a second term – and about half said the same of Trump.
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
