The judge overseeing former President Trump’s federal election interference case is scheduled to hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on August 16, but Trump is not required to attend.
In an order filed Saturday and obtained by The Hill, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan announced that the new conference will be a status conference.
Trump’s lawsuit was put on hold after the Supreme Court last month granted immunity to former presidents, but Chutkan’s announcement appears to have put it back on track.
All parties are scheduled to submit a status report by August 9 and jointly propose a timeline for “how to proceed with the pre-trial proceedings.”
“If necessary, the parties may explain their differences in separate sections of the report,” Chutkan said.
The case is not expected to go to trial before this fall’s presidential election, and following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the justices may consider how the ruling might affect the details of the case.
Trump’s case was sent back to Chutkan and the lower courts after a 32-day waiting period by the Supreme Court.
It’s unclear what will happen next — Trump’s campaign has argued that any prosecution of Mr. Trump should wait until after the election — and the new deadline could provide a glimpse into how special counsel Jack Smith plans to tackle the immunity issue.
Chutkan previously dismissed Trump’s attempts to delay the lawsuit, saying the election would not affect the timing of the lawsuit. There was a chance Chutkan could have allowed the lawsuit to be heard before November, but the Supreme Court’s decision pushed back that timeline.
In his order, Judge Chutkan denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the indictment on legal grounds and said he could file a new motion “once all immunity issues have been resolved.”
“The Court is expected to set additional deadlines following the status conference on August 16, 2024,” she wrote.
