Donald Trump's Hint He's Getting Good News in Trial

Former President Donald Trump received a new hint that may point to good news in his Washington, D.C., 2020 election trial.

On Wednesday, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who is overseeing the trial, filed a court document scheduling a hearing for a January 6 defendant on April 2, just over a month after the former president's scheduled trial start date of March 4. The move suggests that Trump's trial may be delayed from its scheduled start date, legal experts told Newsweek.

Trump is accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results and other crimes relating to the riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Special Prosecutor Jack Smith brought the case. Trump has maintained his innocence.

Trump and his legal team have argued that he had presidential immunity, which should shield him from the charges alleged in the indictment. The former president appealed a previous ruling from Chutkan, which said that presidential immunity did not apply to Trump due to the fact that he is not currently in office.

Since his appeal, the trial has been paused as a Washington D.C. Court of Appeals makes a decision on the claims of presidential immunity.

Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor and an elected state attorney, told Newsweek on Wednesday that since the court of appeals has yet to make a decision on Trump's claims of presidential immunity, "Judge Chutkan likely doesn't see any reasonable chance that the Trump criminal case moves forward to trial in March or April of this year," allowing her to schedule another hearing in April.

"Assuming immunity is rejected by any and all courts, a trial in the summer of 2024 for the January 6 case is the most likely scenario," McAuliffe told Newsweek.

Similarly, Neama Rahmani, the President of West Coast Trial Lawyers and former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek that Trump's trial is not likely to begin in March.

According to Rahmani, after the D.C. Court of Appeals issues its ruling on presidential immunity, it is likely that Trump's legal team will "petition for a hearing before the full panel of DC appellate judges, then appeal to the Supreme Court."

"That process will take months, and unless Judge Chutkan lifts the stay, there is a possibility that Trump's trial does not happen before the November election. The other trial scheduled in April is a reflection of that reality," Rahmani told Newsweek.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.

In addition to the hearing scheduled in April, Chutkan also filed another order earlier this month prohibiting Smith from filing motions while the court of appeals makes its decision.

"Contrary to Defendant's assertion, the court has not and will not set deadlines in this case based on the assumption that he has undertaken preparations when not required to do so," Chutkan wrote in her order.

Delays in the trial may be seen as a benefit for Trump as it will allow him to spend more time on the campaign trail, where he remains the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential race.

Trump is also facing several other legal cases, including another federal indictment for the alleged mishandling of classified documents and a civil fraud case in Manhattan. Trump already sought to delay the classified documents case until after the 2024 election.