Reuters, Washington: Donald Trump will stand trial on March 4, 2024 in federal court in Washington for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat, a federal judge ruled yesterday, setting up a crowded schedule for the former president next year as he campaigns to recapture the White House.
The ruling by US Judge Tanya Chutkan means that Trump will likely have to stand trial in at least three separate criminal cases during the thick of the Republican presidential nominating contest.
A trial date in a fourth criminal case has not yet been set.
Trump's lawyers had pressed for an April 2026 trial date, well past the November 2024 presidential election, arguing that they needed time to go through the 12.8 million pages of evidence the government had amassed.
But Chutkan said they did not need that long. "The defense's proposed date of April 2026 is far beyond what is necessary," she said.
Trump's trial is due to start one day before "Super Tuesday," when more than a dozen US states will hold their presidential nominating contests.
