Shan Wu is a former federal prosecutor who served as counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno.
Scheduling hearings in criminal trials are normally all about the calendars. The court’s calendar, prosecutor’s calendars, defense counsel calendars and sometimes the calendar for witnesses or defendants all are the subject of a lot of rather mundane discussions of other trials, holidays and even vacation schedules.
Presidential election dates never enter into the discussion since election days are not federal holidays. But the scheduling hearing held before Judge Tonya Chutkan in former President Trump’s Jan 6 election interference case was an exception. The 2024 election—a mere 60 days away as Judge Chutkan held her hearing—loomed over the courtroom like a malevolent spirit.
