On Thursday morning, attorneys for Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team appeared before Judge Tanya Chutkan in the U.S. District Court in D.C. to discuss the timeline of upcoming decisions in Trump’s case. While the two sides had differing views on when certain issues should be addressed, Judge Chutkan made it clear that the trial will not take place before Election Day in November.
A major point of contention was the timing of the briefings on Trump’s claim of presidential immunity. Trump’s attorneys raised concerns that the government’s evidence on this issue could include damaging information that might become public right before the election. Despite this, Chutkan stuck to the plan and set a schedule for the briefings to take place before the election.
According to the schedule issued Thursday afternoon, the key deadlines are as follows:
- September 10: Government must complete all required evidence disclosures.
- September 26: Government files its opening brief on the presidential immunity issue.
- October 17: Trump files his response and renewed motion to dismiss.
- October 24: Trump submits a request for leave to file a motion to dismiss on Appointments and Appropriations Clauses.
- October 29: Government files its reply brief on the immunity issue.
- October 31: Government files its opposition to Trump’s motion on the Appropriations/Appointments Clauses.
- November 7: Trump files his reply on the Appropriations/Appointment Clauses.
While this schedule shouldn’t interfere with Trump’s campaign activities, it will ensure that media coverage in the lead-up to the election includes potentially negative information about Trump, the 2020 election, and January 6th. For Democrats, this could be a valuable alternative to having the trial before the election. Buckle up.
