Judge schedules first hearing to discuss protective order in Trump election case

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The federal judge presiding over special counsel Jack Smith's case related to allegations former President Donald Trump perpetrated a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election that led to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol has scheduled the case's first hearing in Washington.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan set the hearing to discuss a protective order, which refers to the rules on how the prosecution and defense are to handle evidence, for Friday at 10 a.m. EDT. Smith has requested Trump and his team be prevented from revealing evidence collected during his investigation.

The hearing will be the first before Chutkan after Trump's arraignment before a magistrate judge last week. Trump is not expected to personally attend the hearing.

Smith's team indicated in court documents that they were available at any time Wednesday, Thursday or Friday as Trump's team pushed for the hearing to be scheduled for next week because of his busy legal schedule.

Trump, who is campaigning again for president in the 2024 election, has been indicted in three cases including Smith's probe into the former president's keeping of classified documents following the end of his time in office. That case, based in Florida, has a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Before Chutkan set the hearing date, Trump attacked the judge on his Truth Social platform. According to CNN, Chutkan has received increased security for her protection.