The Daily Fuckup

As of Jan. 13, 2024, Donald Trump’s federal election case in Washington was still on hold while his immunity appeal moved through the courts. The pause meant the district court was not advancing the case toward the March 4 trial date, even though the underlying charges remained in place.

The delay was procedural, but it had real effect. Judge Tanya Chutkan had already paused the case on Dec. 13, 2023, while Trump challenged whether a former president can be prosecuted for conduct tied to his official duties. With that appeal unresolved, the case stayed frozen at the trial-court level.

Prosecutors were urging the appeals court to reject Trump’s immunity claim and let the case resume. Trump’s lawyers were pressing the opposite view, arguing that the prosecution should not move ahead until the legal question was decided. On Jan. 13, no appellate ruling had yet cleared the way for the case to restart.

What that meant in practice was simple: the schedule slipped, but the case had not been thrown out. The March 4 trial date was still the target on the calendar, but it was no longer a live trial clock while the D.C. Circuit considered the immunity issue.