Former President Donald Trump’s scheduled start date for his federal 2020 election obstruction trial has been removed from the public calendar.
Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, initially scheduled the trial for March 4. Trump has entered a not-guilty plea to four charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the circumstances leading up to the attack on January 6.
Most expected that the proceedings would start later than expected, though, because the case is now on hold while the D.C. Circuit decides whether Trump should be immune from prosecution because the charges against him pertain to his time in office.
It is uncertain when the three-judge panel at the appeals court will render a decision, despite hearing arguments on January 9, regarding whether the former president can invoke absolute immunity to dismiss Smith’s case.
