Former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently running for the presidency again, is set for trial on charges of attempting to subvert the election results that removed him from office. Reuters reports that a pre-trial meeting has been scheduled for August 16 in the criminal case accusing Trump of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Reuters states that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan set the date in a court document released Saturday, a day after regaining jurisdiction in the case. The proceedings had been paused for nearly eight months to allow Trump to pursue his presidential immunity claim.
The article notes that in the coming weeks, Chutkan is expected to determine which aspects of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment must be dismissed, following a Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity for official actions taken while in office.
Reuters reports that Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts alleging a multi-part conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election results. According to the court document, he will not be required to appear in court for the August 16 status conference.
The news agency mentions that the judge has asked all parties to propose a schedule for pretrial proceedings by August 9. She also denied Trump’s October motion to dismiss the charges on statutory grounds but said he may file a renewed motion after all immunity issues are resolved.
Reuters points out that the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the immunity claim case has made it virtually impossible for the criminal trial to occur before the November 5 U.S. presidential election. The article notes that Chutkan previously indicated she would give Trump about 90 days to prepare for trial once the case returns to her courtroom, with the trial expected to last six to eight weeks.
The Reuters report concludes by stating that Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal prosecution, is the Republican nominee for the upcoming election. It also mentions that Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the delegate votes needed for the Democratic nomination.
