An appeals court ruled that Mr Trump is not immune from criminal prosecution for acts committed while he was president. The time it took to issue that decision, however, has indefinitely delayed Mr Trump’s federal trial related to the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

So while Mr Trump did not successfully assert sweeping new presidential powers to act with impunity while in office, the tentative 4 March start date in Washington DC has been removed from the federal court’s calendar.

And there is no indication of when it might reappear.

This is in keeping with the former president’s strategy of throwing sand in the gears of the judicial process whenever possible, according to Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor.

“It’s in Trump’s interest to delay the case until after the November election,” Mr Rahmani said. “If he wins control of the White House, a sitting president can’t be prosecuted.”

If delay is the goal, there are a few steps Mr Trump’s legal team could now follow.