Donald Trump's 2020 election case: Judge orders hearing on evidence on Friday
A federal judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's trial on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election has ordered his attorneys and federal prosecutors to appear in court on Friday for a hearing to help determine how evidence can be used and shared in the case. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan set the hearing for Friday at 10 a.m.
ET (1400 GMT), shortly after Trump's attorneys and members of U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith's office had clashed in a joint court over when to schedule the proceeding. Prosecutors had said they were available all week, while Trump's lawyers had asked for a postponement until early next week.
Friday's hearing comes after Trump's defense team on Monday opposed a request from prosecutors for Chutkan to impose a protective order to ensure confidential evidence is not shared publicly by Trump, suggesting he could use the information to intimidate witnesses. Trump has pleaded not guilty and called the charges politically motivated. Trump's attorneys said limits would infringe on his right to free speech, protected by the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution. Trump is not expected to be present in the courtroom on Friday, after Chutkan waived his appearance. Typically, defense lawyers do not oppose such protective orders because doing so can delay the government from producing the evidence it intends to use at trial in a process known as discovery.
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