Donald Trump Files Immunity Appeal, Judge Temporarily Stops 2020 Election Case

JAKARTA - A judge in the United States on Wednesday temporarily halted a federal case related to Donald Trump's attempt to illegally overturn the 2020 election results, while the former president filed an appeal declaring he was immune from the charges.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan said Trump's ongoing appeals were pausing all activities that would have taken the case to trial, which was originally scheduled to begin in March 2024.

Trump appealed Chutkan's ruling earlier this month, which rejected Trump's bid to dismiss the case based on the argument that he could not be sued for official actions he took as president.

"This is a major victory for President Trump and our rule of law," said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement, reported by Reuters, December 14.

The ruling “frustrates” Special Prosecutor Jack Smith's rush to assess interference strategies in the 2024 presidential election, Cheung said.

Smith's spokesman declined to comment. Prosecutors previously denied allegations of political bias.

Both Trump and Smith have acknowledged that the former president cannot be tried while his appeal process is ongoing.

But Smith sought to keep some aspects of the case active, arguing that the judge could still conduct certain pretrial matters in the case.

Judge Chutkan ruled he could enforce his past rulings, including a gag order limiting Trump's statements about prosecutors and witnesses, while the case is temporarily halted.

The judge said he would reconsider whether to move the trial date of the case at hand, once Trump's appeal is resolved.

It is known that Trump himself has pleaded not guilty to four felony charges accusing him of attempting to defraud the United States, obstructing Congress through a scheme to overturn his defeat to President Joe Biden.

Trump's plea is seen as his best chance to achieve his goal of delaying the trial until after the November 2024 election, when he would be the front-runner to face Democrat Joe Biden. His lawyers accused Smith of trying to take the case to court to damage Trump's campaign.

Smith himself has asked the US Supreme Court to bypass a federal appeals court and immediately rule on the immunity claim, an unusual move seen as designed to stymie Trump's efforts to dismiss the case.