Jack Smith Leaves Trump Trial Timeline to Judge Chutkan: Key Points and Strategic Delays

When it comes to courtroom drama, Donald Trump’s latest legal saga has all the plot twists of a prime-time TV show. Imagine this: Special counsel Jack Smith, normally the legal equivalent of the Energizer Bunny, suddenly decides to give U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan a lead role in setting the timeline for Trump’s trial. With the prompt “Your move, judge,” Smith’s late-night legal filing may be the most suspenseful cliffhanger in recent court history.

In a 10-page document that neither team would dare call boring, Jack Smith and Trump’s attorneys responded to Judge Chutkan’s request for a roadmap after the Supreme Court’s ruling threw a wrench in the proceedings. Smith, usually known for his rapid-fire legal maneuvers, chose to let Judge Chutkan be the one to decide how quickly—or slowly—Trump’s case should move forward.

Rather than penciling in a date on the trial calendar, Jack Smith simply asked the judge to address Trump’s multiple dismissal attempts simultaneously. In legal terms, it’s like telling the judge, “We’re ready when you are,” which is a surprising shift from the urgent pace Smith had been pushing for all year.

This unexpected move marks a sharp contrast from Jack Smith’s previous calls for urgency, especially when he was pushing for a quick trial date after initially charging Trump with multiple conspiracies to thwart the 2020 election results. But with the Supreme Court effectively shielding Trump from significant portions of Smith’s evidence, the prosecution has had to reconsider its strategy.

And it’s not just Jack Smith recalculating. Trump, ever the master of delay, is using the Supreme Court’s decision as leverage in other legal battles, including his upcoming sentencing in the hush money case in New York. Much like Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is leaving the timing decisions to the judge, showing that this game of legal chess is far from over.

Despite Jack Smith’s reluctance to propose a new trial schedule, Trump’s defense team stepped in with a detailed plan that would drag pretrial motions into January and possibly beyond. Their strategy is clear: keep the case alive long enough to potentially push it past the 2024 election, where a victory for Trump could mean calling off the trial altogether.

In a move that feels like an episode rewrite, Jack Smith’s team did recently tweak the charges against Trump, sticking with the four major felonies but removing claims related to Trump’s alleged abuse of power. This revision aligns with the Supreme Court’s ruling but doesn’t diminish the stakes. Trump’s lawyers, however, argue that without key pieces of evidence—like the infamous pressure campaign on Vice President Mike Pence—Smith’s case could collapse like a house of cards.

Yet, there’s a looming wildcard that neither side has fully addressed: the possibility that Trump could win the presidency again. If that happens, all bets are off, and the trial could be dismissed faster than you can say “executive privilege.”

As it stands, Trump’s legal team has suggested a timeline that conveniently pushes most substantive litigation until after the election. Their strategy includes challenging the very foundation of Smith’s appointment and the legality of the Justice Department’s funding for his team, with all significant filings scheduled to take place after Election Day. This careful choreography aims to keep the most explosive parts of the case out of the public eye until voters have had their say.

Judge Chutkan, for her part, has scheduled a conference next Thursday to discuss the way forward, but don’t expect any dramatic courtroom confrontations just yet—Trump has been excused from attending, and both sides seem content to keep things quiet until after the ballots are counted.

In the ever-evolving legal drama that is Trump vs. The United States, the ball is now squarely in Judge Chutkan’s court. Whether she fast-tracks the case or lets it simmer until after the election, one thing is clear: this is a courtroom battle that’s as much about timing as it is about law. So, grab your popcorn—this legal thriller is far from over.

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