Donald Trump Trial Could Derail Judge Chutkan's Travel Plans

Days after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan halted former President Donald Trump's federal election subversion case, she suggested that the trial could drag into the heart of summer, reported Politico.

The delay is viewed as a victory for Trump, who has been pushing to postpone his four criminal trials until after the presidential election in November.

Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, faces four felony charges in the subversion case, in which he's accused in attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and over his activities surrounding the subsequent January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all counts in the case.

While a trial date for the case, led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, was previously set for March 4, Chutkan called off the date in an order filed on Friday. The judge vacated the case's schedule, citing an outstanding appeals decision on whether the former president should be granted presidential immunity. A new schedule will be set later, pending the appeals court ruling.

Newsweek reached out via email on Monday night to representatives for Trump and Chutkan for comment.

During a status conference for an unrelated case on Monday, Chutkan said that she planned to be out of the country in early August, barring the timeline of Trump's trial, according to Politico.

"I hope not to be in the country on August 5," Chutkan said, adding that if she isn't traveling, it will be because "I'm in trial in another matter that has not yet returned to my calendar."

Politico reported that Chutkan's comments on Monday appeared to be a reference to Trump's pending case and the judge's first public acknowledgment that the MAGA leader's trial could last for the duration of the GOP primaries and Republican National Convention, which is scheduled for mid-July.

Chutkan, appointed by former President Barack Obama, noted that the trial schedule is largely out of her control and in the hands of the higher courts.

Smith and fellow Justice Department prosecutors have sought to expedite the trial, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether Trump was immune from facing charges in connection with his actions during his presidency. The high court denied Smith's request.

Trump has argued that presidents should be given immunity for all actions, including ones that "cross the line," saying that without such it would be "impossible" for them to "properly function."

In his appeal filed in December, Trump argued that he is immune from prosecution for acts committed in serving his presidential duties, including his unsubstantiated claims that Democrats rigged the 2020 presidential election in President Joe Biden's favor.

Trump, the party's likely nominee after winning the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary last month, has also pushed to delay his other criminal trials until after November's election, arguing that the proceedings are a form of election interference.