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A federal judge has set a March 4 trial date for former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington, DC.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan announced her decision on Monday, arguing that it was made in “the interest of justice” and to give Trump’s legal team enough time to adequately prepare, The Guardian reported.
The start date largely appeared to be a win for Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who proposed starting the trial in January, with the jury selection beginning in December. He estimated the trial would take four to six weeks.
Trump’s legal team, in contrast, requested that the trial start in April 2026, which would be nearly a year and a half after the next presidential election.
Chutkan called both proposals unacceptable, while Trump attorney John Lauro dismissed a 2024 trial as unjust, according to The Associated Press.
“Never in the history of the United States have we seen a case of this magnitude go to trial in four months, and this man’s liberty and life is at stake,” he said Monday. “He deserves an adequate representation. He’s no different than any American.”
Trump, who’s the first former president in United States history to be criminally indicted, faces four federal charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
The criminal case is one of four that the 2024 Republican front-runner currently faces.
His New York trial related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels is expected to start on March 25.
His second federal case related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida has a May 20 trial start date.
A trial date has yet to be determined for his second state case related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election’s results in Georgia. He and 18 other defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on September 6.
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