Prosecutors have previously estimated it would take them four months to present their case. That would mean the trial would be underway during the final months of the election campaign.

A law first crafted in the nation’s infancy would give Trump as commander in chief almost unfettered power to do so, military and legal experts say.

Judges asked aggressive questions of both sides while weighing whether to restore an order from a trial judge that barred Trump from inflammatory comments against prosecutors, potential witnesses and court staff.