Final Countdown: GOP Frontrunner Trump Could Receive Verdict in D.C. Criminal Case Days Before Election
Feb. 7 2024, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Former president Donald Trump could receive a verdict in his Washington D.C. case over his alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election during a pivotal point in his campaign, RadarOnline.com has learned.
A new legal analysis broke down the potential timeline based on prior practices after a federal appeals court in D.C. ruled the embattled GOP frontrunner does not have immunity from prosecution in his election case due to being commander-in-chief at the time.
"For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant," the panel wrote. "But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution."
It is anticipated that Trump will ask the Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling, which could determine if the process may speed up or slow down exponentially.
The 2024 hopeful has said that he "respectfully disagrees with the DC Circuit's decision and will appeal it in order to safeguard the Presidency and the Constitution," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung shared in a statement.
Trump has pleaded not guilty after being charged with four counts in the case being prosecuted by Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith. Trump has until February 12 to file an emergency stay request with the Supreme Court.
The analysis by Just Security added a disclaimer that the timelines they determined represent probabilities of what is to come, not certainties.
It is their theory the trial may potentially "conclude in late August or early September if the Supreme Court denies Trump's eventual cert petition or in mid to late October if the Supreme Court grants Trump's cert petition," which falls just before Nov. 5, the date the 2024 United States elections are scheduled to be held.
There is another scenario presented in which the Supreme Court holds off until the end of this year's term in late June to issue its decision, potentially leading to the trial kicking off Oct. 1 and concluding around Jan 1, 2025.
The analysis is co-authored by former White House special counsel Norman L. Eisen, Matthew A. Seligman who is a partner at Stris & Maher, and Joshua Kolb, who served as a law clerk in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.