The judge overseeing President-elect Trump's federal Jan. 6 case granted special counsel Jack Smith's request Friday to pause proceedings in the case. The big picture: Smith has been in discussions with Justice Department officials about how to close his two federal criminal cases against Trump —the first convicted felon to win the White House.

The special counsel asked for time to assess how to proceed now that Donald Trump is returning the White House, triggering a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Special counsel Jack Smith referred to long-standing Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted while in office.

Legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said that if special counsel Jack Smith were to talk publicly about President-elect Trump’s federal court cases, he “doubt[s] it would go so well for President Trump.” Smith currently has two cases against Trump: one for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election leading up to the Jan.

The Government respectfully requests that the Court vacate the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule,” Jack Smith wrote.

A federal judge granted a request by Special Counsel Jack Smith to pause the case against Donald Trump conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results.