Donald Trump's 2020 election case: Judge orders hearing on evidence on Friday
2 min read 09 Aug 2023, 06:43 AM ISTFederal judge orders hearing to determine how evidence can be used in Trump's trial on charges of overturning the 2020 election.
PremiumA federal judge overseeing the trial of former President Donald Trump, who faces charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, has issued an order for his legal team and federal prosecutors to appear in court on Friday on August 11. The purpose of this hearing is to address how evidence can be utilised and shared in the case, Reuters reported.
US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan scheduled the hearing for Friday at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), shortly after disagreements arose between Trump's attorneys and members of US Special Counsel Jack Smith's office regarding the timing of the proceeding. While prosecutors were available throughout the week, Trump's lawyers had sought a delay until the early next week.
The hearing comes as a response to Trump's defence team opposing a request from prosecutors, on August 7, to implement a protective order preventing the public sharing of confidential evidence by Trump. Prosecutors argued that such an order would prevent Trump from potentially intimidating witnesses by using the information. Trump has entered a not guilty plea, asserting that the charges are politically motivated.
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Trump's lawyers contended that imposing limits on the sharing of evidence would infringe on his First Amendment right to free speech, as guaranteed by the US Constitution. It's expected that Trump will not personally appear in court on Friday, as Chutkan waived his presence. Ordinarily, defence attorneys do not contest such protective orders because doing so can slow down the government's process of disclosing evidence for trial preparation in a process known as discovery.
This disagreement regarding the hearing date is the latest attempt by Trump's legal team to delay legal proceedings. The situation also highlights the logistical complexities faced by Trump's lawyers as they simultaneously handle two separate federal criminal cases initiated by Jack Smith's office—one in Washington, DC, and the other in southern Florida. The latter case charges Trump with retaining highly classified records after his presidency and obstructing the government's efforts to recover those records. Trump has entered a not guilty plea in this case as well.
One of Trump's attorneys, Todd Blanche, is expected to appear in federal court in Florida on Thursday, that is August 10, for an arraignment, following the filing of a superseding indictment by the government. This new indictment introduces additional criminal charges against Trump and another employee in the case. In a joint filing in Washington, Trump's legal team expressed his desire for both Todd Blanche and his other attorney, John Lauro, to be present during the hearing before Judge Chutkan.
(With inputs from Reuters)
