The amicus brief was submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia as a project of the Democracy 21 Education Fund in the January 6, 2021, case against Trump. It comes as the former president and his team look to push the case until after the election, though the final decision on a trial date will come down to presiding Judge Tanya Chutkan. Her decision is likely to come by the end of this month.
The brief cites the Speedy Trial Act in arguing that Smith’s proposed date is “reasonable” while also accounting for “the American public’s interest in a prompt resolution of this profoundly important case.” It also argues that Smith’s proposed timeline “respects and serves the former president’s own interest in a speedy trial.” CNN has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.