The federal judge, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, overseeing the prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, has set a trial date for early March, rejecting Mr. Trump’s request to delay it until 2026. The trial will begin on March 4, which is seen as a victory for prosecutors who wanted the trial to start on January 2. However, this creates a conflict with the three other trials Mr. Trump is facing, highlighting the complex nature of his legal situation and how it intersects with his campaign for the presidency.
The district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., has proposed a trial for Mr. Trump on charges of tampering with the election in that state also on March 4. Another case in Manhattan, where Mr. Trump is accused of multiple felonies related to hush-money payments to a porn actress before the 2016 election, is scheduled to go to trial on March 25. If the trial in Washington lasts more than 11 weeks, it could interfere with Mr. Trump’s federal trial in Florida, scheduled to begin in late May.
Judge Chutkan set the March 4 trial date despite the fact that Mr. Trump has two other trial dates scheduled next year and is also running for president. She emphasized the societal interest in a speedy trial and stated that Mr. Trump, like any defendant, would have to make the trial date work regardless of his schedule.
Mr. Trump faces indictments in four different places – Washington, New York, Atlanta, and Florida – and prosecutors are trying to find a time for their trials that doesn’t conflict with each other or with Mr. Trump’s campaign schedule. It is uncertain how the judges, prosecutors, and defense teams will address the challenge of scheduling these four criminal trials, especially considering Mr. Trump’s political campaign. Mr. Trump expressed his intention to appeal Judge Chutkan’s scheduling decision.
During the hearing, Mr. Trump’s lawyers argued that they needed until April 2026 to prepare for the trial due to the extensive amount of discovery materials they would need to review. However, Judge Chutkan dismissed this argument, stating that the extended timeframe was unnecessary for preparing for a trial of this magnitude.
Mr. Trump’s lawyer, John F. Lauro, previewed some of the defense’s case and mentioned several motions they were planning to file on Mr. Trump’s behalf. One potential argument is that Mr. Trump was immune to the charges because they cover a time when he was the nation’s commander in chief. They are also considering a selective prosecution motion, claiming that the election interference indictment is retaliation for the federal investigation of Hunter Biden. Mr. Lauro also stated that they planned to challenge the three conspiracy counts in the indictment.
The trial’s scheduling issues were the main focus of the hearing, as both sides presented their arguments. Prosecutors estimated that their presentation would take four to six weeks, which would extend beyond the scheduled trial dates in Manhattan and Florida. The Manhattan District Attorney has indicated a willingness to move the trial date for the Manhattan case if agreed upon by the judge. However, it remains unclear how all these trials will be scheduled, considering the constraints of Mr. Trump’s campaign.
The defense argued that the amount of evidence and discovery materials needed to be reviewed were burdensome and requested more time. Prosecutors countered this argument, stating that much of the material was publicly available or already known to Mr. Trump. They also mentioned the possibility of going through the discovery electronically using keyword searches to expedite the process. The government has provided a file of key documents to serve as a roadmap to their case.
In their attempt to persuade Judge Chutkan to move quickly to trial, prosecutors reminded her of Mr. Trump’s social media attacks on the court and the citizens of D.C., which could influence the jury pool. Judge Chutkan presided over the hearing and addressed the scheduling and preparation concerns raised by both sides.