donald trump‘s federal election interference case will not move forward for now, after Judge Tanya Chutkan accepted special counsel Jack Smith’s motion to vacate pending deadlines in the case due to the “unprecedented circumstance” of Trump’s election victory.

in a presentation On Friday, Smith noted that Trump, the accused, will be certified as president-elect on January 6, 2025 and will be inaugurated on January 20. In light of the impending change in Trump’s status, Smith asked Chutkan to pause. all remaining pretrial deadlines to give his office “time to evaluate this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course to follow consistent with Department of Justice policy.” Smith said his office would inform the court of its conclusion by Dec. 2.

The Justice Department has a long-standing policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.

Trump’s defense team did not object to the request, and Chutkan granted the motion shortly after.

Smith’s request comes just two days after Trump was projected as the winner of the 2024 election, and amid reports that the Justice Department is investigating close the two federal criminal cases against the elected president. As my MSNBC colleague Jordan Rubin says notedThe federal cases against Trump are unlikely to move forward given that he is about to return to the White House, and proceedings in his state cases in New York and Georgia are also unlikely to continue while he is in office. Trump has denied wrongdoing in all of his criminal cases.

Smith has been a major target for Trump for her lead role as a prosecutor in the president-elect’s two federal cases. Trump, who has repeatedly promised to punish his rivals if he returns to the White House, said just days before the election that fire Smith “in two seconds” if he becomes president again. And some members of Trump’s inner circle, including Tech billionaire Elon Musk and lawyer mike davishave called for Smith to be prosecuted.