Former President Donald Trump is currently involved in multiple legal battles and, despite the gravity of the allegations against him, he has managed to focus on delaying the proceedings until after the presidential elections. Through various strategies, Trump’s legal team has effectively postponed these cases, a feat considered unlikely given the high level of public scrutiny and the seriousness of the charges he faces.
U.S. Supreme Court to the rescue
The U.S. Supreme Court has recently made rulings that benefit Trump, significantly impacting his political future. In a matter of days, the Court ruled to allow Trump back on the electoral ballot, preventing states from excluding him. This decision paves the way for Trump to potentially run for president again, setting up a likely showdown with Joe Biden in the upcoming general election. Following Nikki Haley’s withdrawal from the race, Trump appears to be in a strong position to secure the Republican nomination.
The U.S. Supreme Court to decide on Trump’s presidential immunity
Additionally, the Supreme Court has agreed to consider the question of whether Trump can be held legally accountable for alleged attempts to interfere in the federal election process. The justices have temporarily paused the legal proceedings as they deliberate on whether a former president is immune from prosecution for actions taken while in office, as Trump contends. This deliberation process could extend for several months, potentially delaying any legal action against Trump until after the general elections.
Trump appointed judge to help him in the Florida case
Donald Trump wants his trial about classified documents case to start on August 12, according to Judge Aileen Cannon. This is one month later than what the prosecutors wanted. An expert thinks Trump is doing this to push back his trial about election lies.
Trump is dealing with 40 federal charges for unlawfully keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property, Florida, after he was no longer president in January 2021. He’s also accused of trying to stop the officials from getting those documents back. He says he didn’t do anything wrong to all the accusations.
Trump’s legal team seeks August 12 to be the new date for the start of the trial
On Thursday last week, Trump’s legal team told Judge Cannon about dates Trump can’t go to trial. These include times during the 2024 election for president and another trial in New York about Stormy Daniels hush money case. Trump’s wish for the trial to start on August 12 is odd because he wanted to delay the trial until after the presidential election in November 2024.
Legal analyst explains Trump’s legal team request
Lisa Rubin, a legal expert on MSNBC, finds this request somewhat controversial and explained on X that Trump wants his trial in August on purpose. He’s trying to prevent Judge Tanya Chutkan from starting his trial on election fraud during the summer. Right now, Judge Chutkan is waiting for the Supreme Court to make a decision on Trump’s argument that he can’t be tried because he was president citing his presidential immunity. This decision will affect the trial in Washington D.C.
Judge Chutkan has mentioned in court she’s ready to adjust her summer plans to fit in Trump’s trial once the Supreme Court has made its decision. Rubin admitted she was surprised at first by Trump’s request for an August trial. Later, she understood how this timing could complicate the scheduling for Chutkan’s trial on election fraud.
Delaying the case for after the election still in the focus
The legal analyst said that she was initially surprised that Trump’s legal team didn’t ask for an outright stay, but then acknowledged what might be behind the controversial request. Rubin noticed that Trump’s request mentions that the Supreme Court has still to decide on the presidential immunity case in the election fraud case.
“And then and only then does Trump [grudgingly] say he respects the Court’s direction to submit a proposed schedule, but one that must, of course, also take account of the SCOTUS presidential immunity case,” she tweeted. “Put another way, this is a coded invitation to Judge Cannon to schedule absolutely nothing—or in the alternative, a trial date that would effectively block Judge Chutkan from trying the case before her before the election.”
Trump’s schedule makes things more complicated
The schedule Trump’s team sent in shows the days Trump can’t be in court are marked in gray. Trump’s lawyers made the submission ahead of Friday’s scheduling hearing in the classified documents case.
Also, on Thursday, prosecutors suggested starting the trial on July 8. This trial about the classified documents case was supposed to begin in May but got delayed. The delays happened because there was a lot of back-and-forth about the secret document, which are the case’s main focus. Jack Smith, the main prosecutor, has said that Trump’s lawyers are asking for too many documents on purpose to slow things down.
Now, Judge Aileen Cannon has to decide what to do next. It’s interesting to note that Trump was the one who appointed her.
