Federal Judge Vacates Trump Case Deadlines After Jack Smith Seeks Pause

Smith said his team needs to ‘assess the unprecedented circumstances and determine the appropriate course going forward’ in the case.

Special counsel Jack Smith at the Justice Department in Washington on June 9, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images

A federal judge on Friday granted special counsel Jack Smith’s request to provide him more time to look into the “unprecedented circumstances” of his election-related case against President-elect Donald Trump following his Tuesday election victory.

In court papers filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Smith wrote that “as a result of the election” held on Tuesday and because of the expectation that Trump will be “certified as president-elect” on Jan. 6, 2025, and inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025, he is asking the court to vacate several pretrial deadlines that were ordered.