The federal prosecution against Donald Trump for allegedly meddling in the 2020 election has been placed on temporary hold by the judge presiding over the case.
According to Judge Tanya Chutkan, the stay will give higher courts time to review an appeal filed by the former president, who claims he is exempt from the allegations.
The restricted gag order against Mr. Trump is still in place, she continued.
The trial date in the case is set for March 4th, but it might need to be rescheduled.
That month, Mr. Trump, 77, is expected to go on trial for federal offences connected to a purported scheme to rig the 2020 election results.
Attorneys for Mr. Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 election, have said that previous presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for actions pertaining to their official duties.
Earlier this month, a judge in a lower court dismissed that argument.
Following Mr. Trump’s petition, Ms. Chutkan was forced to postpone further proceedings on Wednesday while the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit deliberated whether or not to grant him immunity.
Jack Smith, the special counsel in charge of the two criminal investigations involving Mr. Trump, requested a prompt decision on the same issue from the US Supreme Court on Monday.
The highest court has consented to review his request.
The DC Circuit granted Mr. Smith’s request to accelerate its own review of Mr. Trump’s appeal.
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Attorneys for Mr. Trump likened the special counsel to Dr. Seuss’s anti-Christmas Grinch in a petition on Wednesday, pleading with the DC Circuit to reject Mr. Smith’s fast-track motion.
“This proposed schedule would require attorneys and support staff to work round-the-clock through the holidays, inevitably disrupting family and travel plans,” they claimed.
“It seems as though the Special Counsel snorted, his fingers thumping like a Grinch, “I need to figure out a means to stop Christmas from coming. However, how?
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Mr. Trump was accused of four offences, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and impeding an official action, in an indictment submitted by Mr. Smith in August.
Out of the four indictments against Mr. Trump, this one has moved forward the fastest thus far.
Judge Chutkan stated in her decision on Wednesday that she would take into consideration “whether to retain or continue the dates of any still-future deadlines and proceedings, including the trial scheduled for March 4,” should Mr. Trump’s appeal be unsuccessful.
His attorneys have made several attempts to reschedule the trial, claiming that doing so before the election in November 2024 will “disenfranchise” voters in the United States.
The former president insists that the cases against him are politically motivated attempts to obstruct his third presidential bid and has denied any misconduct.
In the two cases the special counsel brought against him, Mr. Trump would probably be able to pardon himself. He would also be able to get the suspension of two state criminal prosecutions against him.
In his second lawsuit, Mr. Smith charges Mr. Trump with improperly handling secret information after he left office.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court decided to consider a different case that might affect the one Judge Chutkan is currently supervising.
The question of whether it was appropriate for prosecutors to charge Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, with impeding an official procedure will be heard by the Supreme Court.
