Trump's DC election interference case returns to lower court

Former President Donald Trump's election interference case on Friday returned to US district judge Tanya Chutkan's jurisdiction, after the Supreme Court ruled that presidential immunity exists over core presidential acts and presumptive immunity exists over official actions. 

Trump has been accused of leading a larger operation to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has been charged with two counts of conspiring to obstruct the certification of the election results, conspiring to defraud the government, and conspiring to disenfranchise voters. However, the Supreme Court's ruling last month means the charges will need to be narrowed.

Chutkan has not indicated how or when she plans to move forward with the case, which returned to her control after a 25-day waiting period for any rehearing requests, according to the Guardian. But Trump's attorneys are not expected to call for any witnesses in the case, claiming instead that Chutkan can decide what falls under the narrowed purview based on legal arguments.

Trump's attorneys are expected to argue in a legal filing that Trump is presumptively immune to prosecution in the case under presidential immunity. However, the Supreme Court said unofficial acts are not immune.

The former president is also expected to assert executive privilege over testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence and other key White House officials. 

Chutkan previously indicated that she hoped the case would go to a jury trial before the presidential election in November, per CNN, but the Supreme Court's interference, along with the defense's strategies, have made this unlikely.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.