U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said Trump's ongoing appeal
temporarily halts all activity that would move the case toward
trial, which is currently scheduled to begin in March 2024.
Trump is appealing Chutkan's ruling earlier this month rejecting
Trump's bid to dismiss the case based on an argument that he
could not be prosecuted for official actions he took as
president.
"This is a big win for President Trump and our rule of law,"
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement, adding
that the ruling "derails" Special Counsel Jack Smith's "rush to
judgment strategy of interfering in the 2024 presidential
election."
A spokesperson for Smith declined to comment. Prosecutors have
previously denied allegations of political bias.
Both Trump and Smith have acknowledged that the former president
cannot face trial while his appeal remains ongoing. But Smith
sought to keep some aspects of the case active, arguing that the
judge could still conduct certain pretrial business in the case.
Chutkan ruled that she could enforce her past rulings, including
the gag order that limits Trump's statements about prosecutors
and witnesses, while the case is paused. The judge said she
would revisit whether to move the trial date once the appeal is
resolved.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to four felony counts accusing him
of attempting to defraud the United States and obstruct Congress
through schemes to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden.
Trump's appeal is viewed as his best opportunity to achieve his
aim of pushing the trial until after the November 2024 election,
where he is the frontrunner to face Democrat Joe Biden. His
lawyers have accused Smith of attempting to rush the case to
trial to damage Trump's campaign.
Smith has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to bypass a federal
appeals court and immediately rule on the immunity claim, an
unusual move designed to blunt Trump's attempts to stall the
case.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone, Mark
Porter and Daniel Wallis)
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