Former President Donald Trump’s trial on federal charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results has been officially delayed by a US judge. Originally scheduled to commence on March 4th in Washington, the trial has been postponed following an order from Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan.
Delays in trial proceedings are not uncommon in the legal system, and this delay, in particular, arises from an appeal filed by Trump asserting immunity from prosecution for actions taken during his tenure in the Oval Office.
Judge Chutkan had previously indicated in January that the original trial date, set last summer, would not hold due to the case being frozen by Trump’s appeal. During the delay, prosecutors are prohibited from filing motions, and Trump’s legal team is granted a full seven-month preparation period for the trial. Notably, any time between December and the conclusion of the appeals process will not count against this preparation period, as clarified by Judge Chutkan.
Trump faces over 90 criminal charges across various jurisdictions, including allegations of subverting the 2020 election, illegal retention of government secrets post-presidency, and hush-money payments to an adult film actor who claims to have had extramarital relations with him.
In a separate legal matter, Trump has been ordered to pay approximately $88 million in damages to former Elle columnist E Jean Carroll. Carroll accused Trump of sexually abusing her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and defaming her.
