A federal judge overseeing the trial of former President Donald Trump, who is facing charges related to his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election, has directed both his legal team and federal prosecutors to attend a court hearing on Friday.

The purpose of this hearing is to establish protocols for the utilization and sharing of evidence in the case.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan has scheduled the hearing for 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Friday, promptly following a joint court session where Trump’s attorneys and representatives from U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office disagreed on the timing of the upcoming proceedings.

The prosecutors had indicated their availability throughout the week, whereas Trump’s lawyers had sought a postponement until the following week, Reuters reported.

The hearing on Friday follows Trump’s defense team’s opposition on Monday to a plea by prosecutors for Judge Chutkan to institute a protective order to prevent the public dissemination of confidential evidence related to Trump.

The defense team expressed concerns that Trump might exploit the information to intimidate potential witnesses.

Trump, who maintains his innocence and labels the charges as politically motivated, is not expected to be physically present in the courtroom for this hearing, as Judge Chutkan has waived his requirement to attend.

Trump’s attorneys have argued that imposing limitations on the handling of evidence would encroach upon his right to freedom of speech, a safeguard protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Written by staff