A federal judge has set a March 4 trial date for former President Donald Trump s election interference case in Washington, D.C.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan announced her decision Monday, arguing that it was made in the interest of justice and to give Trumps legal team enough time to adequately prepare, The Guardian reported .

The trial date falls one day before the Super Tuesday primaries. Trump is currently the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race.

The start date largely appeared to be a win for Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who proposed starting the trial in January, with the jury selection beginning in December. He estimated the trial would take four to six weeks.

Trumps legal team, in contrast, requested that the trial start in April 2026, which would be nearly a year and a half after the next presidential election.