Special counsel Jack Smith asks judge to delay next steps in Trump election interference case

Special counsel Jack Smith is asking the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's federal election interference case for more time to propose a timetable for future proceedings after the Supreme Court upended the case with last month's immunity ruling.

In a filing Thursday, Smith’s office asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to allow the parties until Aug. 30 to propose next steps. If the request is granted, it would give prosecutors three more weeks to consult with other parts of the Justice Department on a way forward in a case that focuses on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

"Although those consultations are well underway, the Government has not finalized its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the decision," prosecutors wrote. "The Government therefore respectfully requests additional time to provide the Court with an informed proposal regarding the schedule for pretrial proceedings moving forward."

The filing notes that Trump's attorneys do not object to the request for an extension. Chutkan last week scheduled a status conference for Aug. 16 and told both parties to submit a joint status report detailing a proposed a timeline for pretrial proceedings by Friday.

An attorney for Trump declined to comment Thursday night, and a Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty in the case, has pushed for his legal battles to be dismissed or at least delayed until after the election.

In a Truth Social post Thursday night, he said the Supreme Court's ruling warranted dismissing a series of cases against him.

"It is clear that the Supreme Court’s Historic Decision on Immunity