The judge presiding over the federal election interference case against Donald Trump halted all proceedings in the criminal case on Wednesday pending the outcome of Trump’s appeal arguing he’s protected by presidential immunity.
All pending deadlines and court dates in the case will be put on pause but not vacated, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan added.
“If jurisdiction is returned to this court, it will — consistent with its duty to ensure both a speedy trial and fairness for all parties — consider at that time whether to retain or continue the dates of any still-future deadlines and proceedings, including the trial scheduled for March 4, 2024,” the judge wrote.
The ruling does not affect Trump’s conditions of release, the gag order, or the protective order in the case, the judge said.
Chutkan ruled this month that presidential immunity did not shield Trump from charges that he illegally tried to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.
Smith has asked both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the Supreme Court to hear the appeal on an expedited basis.
Trump’s attorneys urged the Court of Appeals not to expedite the case in a court filing earlier Wednesday.
“Whether a President of the United States may be criminally prosecuted for his official acts as President goes to the core of our system of separated powers and will stand among the most consequential questions ever decided by this Court,” they wrote. “The manifest public interest lies in the Court’s careful and deliberate consideration of these momentous issues with the utmost care and diligence.”
Smith’s team countered that “Expediting the appeal in this case is necessary to vindicate the public’s interest in a timely trial.”
A spokesperson for special counsel Jack Smith’s office declined comment on the ruling. Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Daniel Barnes reports for NBC News, based in Washington. Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.