Trump hearing postponed as special counsel weighs legal strategy in 2020 election case

Washington — The judge overseeing the federal 2020 election-related prosecution of former President Donald Trump has agreed to postpone the first hearing in the case since the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling on presidential immunity after prosecutors asked for more time to interpret the legal ramifications of the decision. 

Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in a brief order that attorneys representing Trump and special counsel Jack Smith were to appear for a status conference on Sept. 5 instead of the previously scheduled date of Aug. 16. 

"The Government continues to assess the new precedent set forth last month in the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. United States…including through consultation with other Department of Justice components," Smith wrote late Thursday in his request to delay the hearing. "The Government has not finalized its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the decision."