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Political trial against Trump in the Senate: what's next? 0:49
(CNN) - The president of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, took the senators on Thursday officially starting the trial trial of President Donald Trump.
But, the trial begins in earnest on Tuesday afternoon when Republicans and Democrats are expected to fight for a resolution that sets the rules for the trial and shortly after starting to open arguments.
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It is possible that senators vote to enter a closed session to discuss the issues that divide them because the rules of political judgment prevent them from speaking in public during the trial.
This is what we know:
When will the trial begin?
The trial will begin on Tuesday, January 21 at 1 p.m. ET, after which it will run six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 1 p.m. ET and usually ends between 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. ET, depending on the office of the majority leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell.
But the first session of the trial on Tuesday, when dealing with the organizational resolution, can be extended to more than 6 pm, according to the assistants of each party.
How will the schedule be every day?
The Senate will be in session at noon ET on each day of the trial, and there will be time for leadership comments and possibly some legislative action before 12:30 pm ET, when preparations will be made for the trial to begin.
We will not know exactly what the schedule for the trial will be until the senators approve the organizational resolution, which could happen on Tuesday. But if they follow the model of the impeachment political trial of President Bill Clinton, as McConnell has said he wants to do, each party will have no more than 24 hours to present their initial arguments. After that, senators would have up to 16 hours to ask questions, which would be sent in writing.
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If they do it for five hours each day, the opening arguments would take approximately 10 days and the questions would take approximately three. But the two sides do not have to use their full 24 hours, which could reduce the days of the initial arguments.
However, Republican Senate leaders are considering limiting the number of days given to both House prosecutors and the White House defense team to present their initial arguments, according to four sources familiar with the matter. His plan would give each side two 12-hour sessions to present their arguments.
The sources warned that things remain fluid and it is possible that the idea ends in the courtroom while the majority Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, tries to balance the desire of some to undertake a thorough trial and others who want a process Fast towards acquittal for Trump. They also noted that it is completely possible that one or both parties choose not to use some of their time during the presentations.
Only after the initial arguments and questions are completed, McConnell wants the Senate to discuss the questions of witnesses and convincing documents.
Will we see witnesses?
Democrats do not want to wait so long to solve the problem of witnesses and plan to force an early debate and vote on the issue by pressing for amendments to the organizational resolution. Most Republicans, including key votes like Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, say they won't even consider calling witnesses until after the initial arguments, so This effort by the Democrats seems destined to fail, although it will attract attention.
Fifty-one senators have to vote in favor of bringing witnesses, so if the 47 Democrats are unified, only four Republicans would have to support them for approval. It is still an open question if those three Republicans vote to listen to witnesses, and if they can also convince a fourth senator.
Will the entire trial be open to the public?
The Senate may enter a closed session at certain times because the rules of political judgment prevent senators from speaking. During Clinton's trial, some of this was done in the Old Senate Chamber at the end of the Senate hall, but this time they plan to remain on the floor of the Senate. We have no idea how long these sessions could last behind closed doors. But it may happen next Tuesday and then again after the initial arguments and questions.
In fact, the reason why Senate authorities plan to place metal detectors where the press enters the chamber, something that has bothered the Capitol press body, is because they want to make sure there are no devices left in the chamber that can record those closed sessions, according to a Republican advisor.
Political judgment
