Federal judge to set date for historic US versus Trump trial

WASHINGTON - A federal judge is expected to set a date on Monday for what could be one of the most momentous trials in American history: the United States of America versus Donald J. Trump.

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked for the trial of the 45th US president -- who faces charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election which he lost -- to begin on January 2, 2024.

Trump's attorneys have countered with a proposed date of April 2026 -- well after the November 2024 election in which the real estate tycoon is seeking to return to the White House.

READ: Trump arrested in election case, mug shot released

US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan is to entertain the arguments of both sides at a hearing on Monday at a federal courthouse in the nation's capital.

Chutkan's trial date decision could have a pivotal impact on Trump's hopes of capturing the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and the White House.

The 77-year-old Trump has been slapped with four criminal indictments this year -- twice by Smith and once each by state prosecutors in New York and Georgia.

READ: Trump indicted for racketeering over 2020 election interference

But the case before Chutkan may pose the greatest legal peril to Trump -- particularly if it ends up being the first on what is shaping up to be a busy legal calendar for the former president.

"Judge Chutkan will likely set the trial to begin closer to the January 2, 2024 date that Smith proposed than the spring 2026 date that Trump proposed," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.

"She already warned Trump in open court that she would start the trial earlier if he did not stop making remarks that could intimidate or threaten jurors and witnesses," Tobias told AFP.