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Former President Donald Trump is seeking to delay his federal trial on charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and retain the White House.
In a court filing, Trump’s attorneys recommended starting the trial in April 2026, over two years after prosecutors’ proposed trial date.
Trump’s legal team argued that this case is unprecedented in American history, with the incumbent administration targeting its primary political opponent and dedicating substantial resources to the prosecution. They claimed that the government’s objective is to deny Trump a fair ability to prepare for trial.
“This is an unprecedented case in American history. The incumbent administration has targeted its primary political opponent—and leading candidate in the upcoming presidential election—with criminal prosecution,” Trump’s attorneys wrote. “The administration has devoted tens of millions of dollars to this effort, creating a special counsel’s office with dozens of employees, many of whom are apparently assigned full-time to this case and this case alone.”
“The government’s objective is clear: to deny President Trump and his counsel a fair ability to prepare for trial. The Court should deny the government’s request,” they added.
“The government’s objective is clear: to deny President Trump and his counsel a fair ability to prepare for trial.”
“The administration has devoted tens of millions of dollars to this effort, creating a special counsel’s office with dozens of employees, many of whom are apparently assigned full-time to this case and this case alone.”
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the case against Trump, had requested that jury selection begin in December 2023, with the trial starting in early January 2024. Smith argued that this timeline would uphold the public’s strong interest in a speedy trial, given the significance of the charges against a former president.
U.S. District Judge Tonya Chutkan is expected to set a trial date at an upcoming hearing, and Trump is not required to attend the hearing in person.
Trump has consistently expressed his intention to delay the trial until after the 2024 presidential election and has sought to have the case moved out of Washington, D.C., despite most of the alleged criminal activity occurring there. Federal judges in Washington have generally rejected requests to move Jan. 6-related cases out of the district, citing the ability to impanel impartial juries through careful voir dire.
This case is one of several criminal cases Trump faces, and it pertains to his alleged role in attempting to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and obstruct the certification of those results. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
