DC federal Judge Tanya Chutkan has set March 4, 2024 as the trial date for Trump's case over the aftermath of the 2020 election. This is the day before Super Tuesday, when 14 states, including California and Texas, head to the polls to determine the GOP nominee for president.
The case, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, alleges that Trump engaged in conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct and official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Trump's trial in Manhattan, brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, is set to start March 25, 2024.
In setting the date, Chutkan reportedly spoke to the New York judge who is overseeing the "falsified business documents" case in New York.
"Setting a trial date does not depend and should not depend on a defendant's personal obligations," Chutkan said, comparing Trump's campaign obligations to those of a professional athlete, whose schedule would also not be considered when setting trial dates in a criminal case.More than 12.8 million pages of discovery have been given by the DOJ to Trump's defense. Special counsel prosecutor Molly Gaston said that "at this point, discovery is now substantially complete."
Trump's attorneys are likely to file many motions in the coming weeks, and John Lauro, representing the president, said that Trump is essentially being prosecuted for "being President Trump." Lauro is reportedly preparing a motion to dismiss the entire case over selective prosecution, saying "it provides an advantage to these prosecutors' boss who's running a campaign against President Trump."
Trump has asserted his belief that the 4 cases currently against him, two from Biden's DOJ and one each in Georgia and New York, constitute election interference.
