Trump could be convicted days before Presidential election

A new legal analysis has suggested that former President Donald Trump could receive a verdict in his D.C. criminal case just days before this year's presidential election.

The potential timeline came about as a result of D.C. Court of Appeals' decision to deny Trump's claim of presidential immunity. The case is on his alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election.

This means that it's now up to the Supreme Court to decide on how to respond to Trump's inevitable next appeal, and whether to fast-track the process.

The timeline is dependant on what the high court does, but the analysis suggests Trump's D.C. trial could start in June or July, and might not wrap up until October 30. If that's the case, we could see a verdict days before the election, which could mean a very unprecedented 2024 election day.

The uncertainty surrounding the verdict leading up to the election could make for a moment in presidential politics that feels more like a TV show than real life. If the analysis is accurate, Trump could be convicted of serious felonies days before he expects to win the presidency.

Not only could Trump face prison time, but he could also lose a lot of votes.

A New York Times/Sienna College poll found that almost a quarter of Trump's own voters said he shouldn't be the nominee if he is convicted of a crime. In a Reuters/Ipsospoll, 57 per cent of Americans said they wouldn't vote for Trump if he's convicted of a felony.

Of course, all polls should be approached with hesitancy, but they do indicate a potential issue for Trump late in the race.

The D.C. case had been scheduled to begin in early March, but the date was removed from Judge Tanya Chutkan's court calendar while this appeal made its way through the system.

Now, the case - the first of Trump's four criminal cases - is set to begin on March 25th in Manhattan. The same place Trump was charged with falsifying business records related to hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump's other two criminal cases - in Georgia and South Florida - are believed to go to to trial after those in D.C. and New York.

Of course, several curveballs could disregard the analysis' findings, but for now it looks as though there's a possibility of the case finishing before the election.

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