A date has officially been set for former President Donald Trump to face the court in his election interference case.
Trump made history by becoming the first former President of the United States to have a mugshot taken last week after he surrendered to authorities in Georgia before being released on a $200,000 bond.
Now, he has had a court date has been set for March 4, 2024 by a federal judge - which could have a significant impact on his 2024 run for presidency.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan revealed the date on Monday after hearing arguments from Trump's lawyers and federal prosecutors about when the case could go to trial. March 4 will see it happen in the middle of the Republican presidential primaries and the day before Super Tuesday.
NBC News reported that special counsel Jack Smith proposed that the trial should begin in January, with jury selection beginning in December of this year, while Trump’s team wanted the trial pushed back until April 2026, following the presidential election.
Judge Chutkan said on Monday: "These proposals are obviously very far apart. Neither of them is acceptable."
The judge also told Trump that he would have to prioritize the trial and would not change the schedule based on any defendant's professional obligations, so no special treatment would be given for his presidential run.
While Trump's lawyer argued that going to trial next year would violate his rights owing to the millions of pages of discovery turned over by prosecutors, the judge countered that the public "has an interest in the fair and timely administration of justice," per the publication.
John Lauro, Trump's lawyer, argued of the special counsel's proposed schedule: "This is a request for a show trial, not a speedy trial. Mr. Trump is not above the law, but he is not below the law."
After the date was set for March 4, Lauro made an objection on the record, stating that Trump's defense team will not be able to adequately represent their client with that date.
Judge Chutkan had earlier said that while the special counsel's proposal of January was too soon, Trump's counterproposal of 2026 was unreasonable, adding: "Discovery in 2023 is not sitting in a warehouse with boxes of paper looking at every single page. This case is not going to trial in 2026."
She also pointed out that Trump's team has already had time to prepare as the grand jury investigation has been public knowledge since September 2022.
Trump was indicted on four charges by a federal grand jury in Washington D.C. this month, on conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction; and conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted.
At his arraignment nearly August, Trump pleaded not guilty.
Trump is also facing three other criminal cases with state prosecutions in New York and Georgia, as well as a federal prosecution in Florida in relation to his handling of classified documents.
His trial in New York is also due to begin March 25, 2024, while the trial in Florida is set to start in May, while the one in Georgia - for which his historic mugshot was taken this week - is yet to be scheduled.
