Judge suspends Trump’s March election interference trial while awaiting immunity ruling

The judge overseeing former President Trump’s election interference case suspended his March 4 trial Friday, saying she will set a new trial date after an appeals court weighs whether the case should be tossed because of his claims of presidential immunity.

The brief order from U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan makes official what she had already previewed — that she would need to push back the trial date to accommodate time lost to review Trump’s appeal.

The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals heard Trump’s arguments Jan. 9, expressing skepticism over his claim that former executives enjoy broad criminal immunity from prosecution.

Still, the court has yet to issue a formal ruling on the matter, prompting frustration from legal observers noting the overall delay it will cause in what had been Trump’s fastest-moving federal criminal case.

The delay comes after special counsel Jack Smith sought to leapfrog the appeals court, asking the Supreme Court to immediately weigh the issue.