E. Jean Carroll stands in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, USA, on January 26, 2024, as she heads to her second civil trial after accusing Trump of rape decades ago. Former President Donald Trump speaks to the public. .
Eduardo Muñoz | Reuters
A judge on Friday indefinitely postponed former President Donald Trump’s criminal election interference trial, which was scheduled to begin March 4 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The delay is the result of a pending appeal by Trump challenging the Justice Department’s right to prosecute him for allegedly trying to illegally overturn his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. be.
President Trump said he is immune from prosecution as president because the alleged crimes relate to actions he committed while in the White House.
The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals has not yet ruled on this appeal.
If the circuit court rules against him, Trump is certain to ask the Supreme Court to hear his appeal, and if the appeals court rules against the same prosecutor, Trump is certain to ask the Supreme Court to hear his appeal.・The same goes for Special Prosecutor Smith.
If the Supreme Court accepts an appeal on this issue, it could take longer than March 4 to issue a decision.
Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision to postpone Trump’s trial in Washington could clear the way for him to stand trial in a separate criminal case in New York starting in late March.
He is accused in a Manhattan Supreme Court case of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels by his then-personal attorney Michael Cohen before the 2016 election.
Trump, a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has also been charged in two separate criminal cases.
He is charged in Florida federal court with charges related to retaining confidential government records after leaving office and obstructing efforts by authorities to recover those records.
He is also charged in state court in Atlanta with conspiracy to try to reverse Georgia’s loss to Biden in 2020.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges.
