It seems that Special Counsel Jack Smith isn’t quite ready for his high-profile January 6 case.
After the Supreme Court complicated matters with its immunity ruling last month, Smith’s team appears to be struggling with how to proceed.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump has absolute immunity for his core constitutional powers.
The Court affirmed that former presidents are entitled to at least a presumption of immunity for their official acts.
The case was sent back to the D.C. Appellate Court after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.
Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a rare Saturday order last weekend, setting a hearing for August 16.
DC Obama Judge Tanya Chutkan, after getting reversed by the Supreme Court in one of its most monumental decisions ever, issues a highly unusual Saturday morning order.
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) August 3, 2024
Chutkan really, really wants Trump in her courtroom–instead of the campaign trail–this fall.
Marxist Justice https://t.co/5KpBTNaeeC pic.twitter.com/L75A4fg7iF
However, Jack Smith apparently wasn’t prepared to provide the status report due on August 9 or for the status conference scheduled for August 16.
In a Thursday filing, Smith’s office requested an extension until August 30 from Judge Tanya Chutkan.
BREAKING: Jack Smith is not ready to proceed with J6 case in Washington. Asks for additional time to prepare status report—hearing Chutkan scheduled for next Friday likely cancelled. pic.twitter.com/1dI3NQOL69
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) August 8, 2024
On Friday, Judge Tanya Chutkan granted Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to delay the next hearing in the January 6 case against Trump.
The new deadline for the status report is August 30, with the status conference rescheduled for September 5.
From NBC News:
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday approved a request from special counsel Jack Smith to allow for more time to propose the next steps in the government’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump.
The decision came a day after Smith and fellow prosecutors asked the judge to delay the deadline to offer a new timetable in the case until Aug. 30.
Chutkan had given prosecutors and Trump’s legal team until Friday to submit a joint status report including a timeline for pretrial proceedings ahead of a scheduled Aug. 16 status conference.
The special counsel’s office said in its filing Thursday that prosecutors are still assessing the “new precedent set forth” in the Trump immunity decision by the Supreme Court.
