In a significant development, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has scheduled a hearing for August 16, 10 a.m., in the federal election interference case involving former President Donald Trump. The latest order, obtained by The Hill, reveals that Trump's presence at the hearing is not required and that it will serve as a status conference.

Following the Supreme Court's recent ruling that granted immunity to former presidents, Trump's case had been put on hold. However, Judge Chutkan's announcement indicates that proceedings are back on track. All parties involved have been instructed to file a joint status report by August 9, proposing a possible schedule for the upcoming "pretrial proceedings."

Judge Chutkan explicitly states that if there are any disagreements between the parties, they should be outlined separately in the status report. It is worth noting that the case is not expected to go to trial before the upcoming presidential election later this year. Given the Supreme Court's ruling, the judge will likely take into account how this decision impacts the specifics of the case going forward.

After the 32-day waiting period from the Supreme Court elapsed, Trump's case was returned to Judge Chutkan's jurisdiction in the lower court. While the next steps remain unclear, Trump's legal team has insisted that any prosecutions should be postponed until after the election. The upcoming deadlines set by Judge Chutkan will shed light on Special Counsel Jack Smith's approach to the immunity issue.

Judge Chutkan has previously rejected Trump's attempts to delay the case by asserting that the election will not influence her timing decisions. Initially, there was a possibility that the case could have proceeded to trial before November. However, the Supreme Court's decision has altered the timeline.

In her order, Judge Chutkan denied Trump's motion to dismiss the indictment based on statutory grounds. She also allowed for the possibility of Trump filing a new motion once all issues surrounding immunity have been resolved. The order concludes by stating that additional deadlines will be set following the status conference on August 16, 2024.

With the hearing now scheduled, the federal election interference case involving former President Donald Trump has resumed its course. While uncertainties around timing and immunity persist, this latest development indicates that the legal proceedings are moving forward.