The Daily Fuckup

On Feb. 3, 2024, Donald Trump was still trying to hold the federal election-interference case in place with a mix of immunity arguments and procedural delay. The appeal over whether he could claim immunity from prosecution was still pending before the D.C. Circuit, and the trial schedule was still unsettled after Judge Tanya Chutkan had already canceled the original March 4 start date. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/united-states-v-trump))

That left Trump with a familiar legal advantage and a familiar problem. His lawyers could argue that a criminal defendant gets to test major constitutional questions before trial. But the case was not going to disappear while those questions were litigated. The indictment still stood, the immunity fight was still alive, and the calendar kept pulling the dispute back into the center of the campaign. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/united-states-v-trump))

The important date point is simple: as of Feb. 3, the D.C. Circuit had not ruled yet. That decision came three days later, on Feb. 6. Until then, Trump’s delay strategy did not end the case; it just stretched out the fight over when, and whether, the prosecution would move forward. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/46c2d7fc7807cd3262764d35e47f390e))