The J6 case against Donald Trump has been removed from the Washington, D.C. circuit court’s public calendar.
There are now outstanding appeals in the case, which was brought forward by Special Counsel Jack Smith and presided over by Judge Tanya Chutkan.
“Former president Donald Trump’s March 4 trial date on charges of plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election has been dropped from the public calendar of the federal court in Washington, a sign of what has long been anticipated — that his claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution would delay his trial while it remains on appeal,” the Washington Post reported.
The change did not appear on the official criminal case docket before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who has made clear since Trump filed his appeal on Dec. 7 that all trial deadlines would be suspended while he challenges the case. On appeal, Trump is arguing that the government does not have authority under the Constitution to bring charges against him for actions he took while president after the 2020 election through the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, when he attempted to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden’s election victory.
A delay in the D.C. case makes it increasingly likely that the first of Trump’s four criminal trials could be held this spring in Manhattan on New York state charges of business fraud in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election. That trial has nominally been set for March 25, but the court in that case has signaled deference to Trump’s federal election subversion case. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has scheduled a pretrial hearing in two weeks — Feb. 15 — and is expected to decide after that if the trial will go forward as planned.
As of at least Thursday, the March 4 trial date was dropped from a date-searchable calendar on the public website of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It was not immediately clear when it was removed. An internal master court trial calendar distributed Jan. 26 showed Trump’s trial date, suggesting the change was recent, according to a federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal document.
As of at least Thursday, the March 4 trial date was dropped from a date-searchable calendar on the public website of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
It was not readily apparent when the entry was eliminated. The inclusion of Trump’s trial date on an internal master court trial calendar that was disseminated on January 26 indicates that the change occurred recently, according to a federal official who requested anonymity in order to discuss an internal document.
In an opinion published on December 1, Judge Chutkan refuted the arguments put forth by Trump, asserting that his presidency “did not confer upon him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that is imposed on his fellow citizens.” She stated that his impeachment charge of double jeopardy contradicted the “plain meaning, original intent, and common sense” of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court may disagree with the radical judge.
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