Judge Chutkan could jumpstart Trump election interference case now that it’s back in her court

A federal judge in Washington, DC, on Friday should regain control of the criminal case against former President Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, leaving her less than 100 days before the November election to decide the fate of the historic criminal case.

A federal judge in Washington, DC, on Friday should regain control of the criminal case against former President Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, leaving the historic criminal case’s fate in her hands less than 100 days before the November election. The case returns to Judge Tanya Chutkan one month after the Supreme Court issued a game-changing ruling on presidential power. Chutkan has long signaled she wanted the case presented to a jury before voters go to the polls in November, initially pushing for a March trial date. But the Supreme Court interceded earlier this year and put the case on pause to consider Trump’s claims of presidential immunity. By granting Trump sweeping immunity for official acts as president, the Supreme Court’s ruling may gut special counsel Jack Smith’s case. That leaves Chutkan with a number of crucial decisions to make, including whether Trump’s efforts to undo the 2020 election results count as official acts. Attorneys working on the case believe that Chutkan will move quickly with the case back in her jurisdiction, according to sources familiar with their thinking. She could soon set the schedule for any upcoming hearings. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Smith’s office have been preparing to move ahead with the case, even though they face a more difficult path as some evidence obtained in the investigation may be considered off limits because of the Supreme Court ruling, including testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence and other close Trump aides who worked in the White House.