Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday granted special counsel Jack Smith's request to pause the ongoing legal proceedings against president-elect Donald Trump in Washington related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election, according to court documents.
Prosecutors asked the judge for a new Dec. 2 deadline to file "a status report or otherwise inform the court of the result of its deliberations."
Smith requested the pause "as a result of the election," which saw Trump win a second term Tuesday.
"The government respectfully requests that the court vacate the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule to afford the government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy," the court filing reads.
Judge Tanya Chuktan of the Federal District Court in Washington granted Smith's request shortly after it was issued.
"All remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedual are VACATED," Chuktan wrote. "By Dec. 2, 2024, the government shal file a status report indicating its proposed course for this case going forward.
Smith's 165-page election interference filing was unsealed last monty, detailing his evidence against Trump.
The president-elect was critical of the timing, saying the unsealed indictment amounted to "election interference."
Following Trump's victory Tuesday, Justice Department officials reportedly began discussions to end any ongoing legal proceedings against Trump after reaching consensus there can be no trials following the election.
Trump was originally indicted by a grand jury this past August along with over a dozen co-defendants for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The 78-year-old has denied all wrongdoing, while the case has faced numerous delays since the indictment was filed.