Key Point (And Why This Is Bad News For Donald Trump) – Trump’s defense team, led by attorney John Lauro, pushed for a start date of April 2026 on his January 6 trial – almost 18 months after next year’s presidential election. Lauro told the judge that his team would abide by the ruling but claimed they would “not be able to provide adequate representation.”
Date Set For Donald Trump’s Washington D.C. Trial
Former president Donald Trump will stand trial in Washington D.C. on March 4, 2024.
Charged with interference in the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6 Capitol riots, Trump’s trial – brought to the courts by Special Counsel Jack Smith – will begin one day before Super Tuesday where GOP voters in 14 states will cast their preference for the next Republican presidential nominee.
U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Tanya Chutkan confirmed the March 4 commencement on Monday following representations from federal prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys.
The unprecedented trial is currently the first of four indictments Trump will face as the only former president to be criminally charged in U.S. history. He has pleaded not guilty to all four charges, namely, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
Debates Over Dates And Juries
Trump’s defense team, led by attorney John Lauro, pushed for a start date of April 2026 – almost 18 months after next year’s presidential election. Lauro told the judge that his team would abide by the ruling but claimed they would “not be able to provide adequate representation.”
“I feel the need to put that on the record,” Lauro said. Judge Chutkan responded that she understood Lauro’s position, adding that she would issue a pre-trial schedule.
On the contrary, Smith’s prosecution team asked for the trial to begin on January 2, claiming it would culminate within 4-6 weeks. Such a timescale would have seen a conflict with the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primaries.
Also discussed in Monday’s courtroom was the possibility of the defense polling citizens of the District of Columbia to discover whether there was a need to change venue. Trump’s attorneys have previously explored the idea of moving the trial to GOP-friendly West Virginia away from the Democratic stronghold of D.C.
Judge Chutkan said she would be “watching very carefully for anything which might poison the jury pool,” while Lauro responded that such polling had not started. However, he raised the possibility of such an action – one which he claimed he had never seen a restriction on before – due to the accelerated schedule of the trial. Judge Chutkan replied that she was seeking to protect the jury pool, rather than restrict polling outright.
Trump has brandished all charges against him as a politically motivated “witch hunt.” Within the following months, the former president will face trial over alleged hush money payments to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels, and his handling of classified documents after his presidency.
Such a volume of legal commitments undoubtedly makes it harder for Trump to campaign for a second term in office just months before the November 5 election.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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