A U.S. federal judge has scheduled the trial for Donald Trump in the election interference case, where the former president is charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. The trial date of March 4 was set by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, rejecting a defense plea to postpone it until April 2026—roughly a year and a half after the 2024 election. This decision also falls later than the January date proposed by special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
Judge Chutkan was explicit in conveying her dissatisfaction with both suggested timelines during the status conference held on Monday.
The charges against Trump, a Republican, stem from a four-count indictment filed earlier this month, accusing him of devising a scheme to invalidate his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
This federal case is one of four criminal proceedings involving Trump. In a separate federal case led by Smith’s team, Trump is accused of unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida. This case is currently set for trial on May 20 next year.
In addition to federal charges, Trump faces state cases in New York and Georgia. Manhattan prosecutors have accused him of falsifying business records linked to a hush money payment to a porn actor who alleged an extramarital affair with Trump. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, have charged Trump and 18 others with a racketeering conspiracy aimed at undermining the state’s 2020 election.
Trump, considered an early frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, surrendered in the Georgia case recently, becoming the first former U.S. president to have a mug shot. He contends that the investigations against him are politically motivated attempts to harm his chances of returning to the White House.
