U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has set former President Donald Trump’s trial date for the day before Super Tuesday in the federal case against him regarding his legal challenges to the 2020 election — prompting critics to accuse the judge of “election interference.”
On Monday morning, the Associated Press reported that Chutkan had denied the Trump legal team’s request for a spring 2026 trial date — instead scheduling the trial for March 4, 2024.
This date appears to have been specifically chosen to hamper Trump’s efforts to campaign in the 2024 presidential election — as March 4 comes just a day before one of the most momentous days of the presidential primary process, the day that more than a dozen states hold their caucuses or primaries.
“The public has a right to prompt and efficient resolution of this matter,” Chutkan wrote in her ruling on Monday, according to the AP.
“Setting a trial date does not depend and should not depend on the defendant’s personal and professional obligations,” the judge claimed, according to Politico. “Mr. Trump, like any defendant, will have to make the trial date work regardless of his schedule.”
Many critics have argued that there is no possible way that the selection of March 4 was a coincidence — as it was so far off from the Trump legal team’s request of spring 2026 and Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors’ request for a trial date in January 2024. Critics asserted that this was just more evidence that Chutkan could not be impartial in the case against Trump.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) characterized Chutkan’s decision as “Straight up election interference.”
“No other way to put it,” he added.
Straight up election interference. No other way to put it. https://t.co/azlosqC1gH
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) August 28, 2023
“Judge Chutkan is a political operative in a robe,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeted. “We should set her censure for a vote ASAP to expose this sham and restore our republic.”
Judge Chutkan is a political operative in a robe.
We should set her censure for a vote ASAP to expose this sham and restore our republic. https://t.co/mwdUljM8UQ
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 28, 2023
“J6 defendants have been rotting away in solitary awaiting trial for YEARS, but somehow Trump’s documents trial—which involves something like 60 million documents—magically gets scheduled for mid-2024? Mmmk.” The Federalist CEO and founder Sean Davis wrote.
J6 defendants have been rotting away in solitary awaiting trial for YEARS, but somehow Trump’s documents trial—which involves something like 60 million documents—magically gets scheduled for mid-2024? Mmmk. https://t.co/cB1vNp1qaY
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 28, 2023
