U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has approved a request from special counsel Jack Smith to allow for more time to propose the next steps in the government's election interference case against former President Donald Trump. This decision comes in response to a request made by Smith and fellow prosecutors to delay the deadline for presenting a new timetable in the case until August 30th.

Judge Chutkan had initially given prosecutors and Trump's legal team until Friday to submit a joint status report, including a timeline for pretrial proceedings ahead of a scheduled August 16th status conference. However, the special counsel's office announced in a filing on Thursday that additional time was required to assess the "new precedent set forth" in the Supreme Court's decision regarding Trump's immunity.

According to the special counsel's office, consultations are ongoing, and the government has not yet finalized its position on the appropriate schedule for briefing the issues related to the decision. Consequently, the government has respectfully requested an extension to provide the court with an informed proposal regarding the schedule for pretrial proceedings. Notably, Trump's defense team does not object to this request for additional time.

In response to Smith's request, Judge Chutkan has granted the deadline extension, allowing both parties until August 30th to submit the joint status report. Furthermore, the status conference, which was originally scheduled for August 16th, has now been rescheduled to September 5th. This extension effectively ensures that the appeals process will delay the trial beyond the upcoming Election Day on November 5th.

Throughout the course of the four criminal cases against Trump, his legal team has consistently sought to delay proceedings and run out the clock before the election or have the charges dismissed. However, Judge Chutkan recently denied Trump's motion to dismiss the election interference indictment, which was filed prior to the Supreme Court's involvement in the case.

As the case continues to unfold, the nation watches closely to see how the legal proceedings will unfold in the coming months, with implications that stretch beyond the courtroom and into the political realm.