What is the schedule for Trump’s impeachment trial?

Democrats continue to present arguments against former president

Donald Trump's historic second Senate impeachment began this week, just over a month after the US Capitol riot for which Democrats have accused the former president of "incitement to insurrection".

On 9 February, Senators officially started proceedings for the trial in the same building in which pro-Trump supporters stormed only weeks earlier, leading to the deaths of five people.

There is no set timeline for the length of an impeachment trial, but there is good reason to believe that the impeachment will play out quickly, as both parties have reasons to aim for a short trial.

While it's hard to tell exactly how the proceedings will play out, allotments provide a skeleton structure and suggest if witnesses are not brought, the trial could be over by the start of next week.

Read on to find out how the trial could pan out over the coming days.

Read more: Follow live Trump impeachment updates

Thursday 

On Thursday Democrats will continue to present additional arguments. The impeachment managers are entitled to up to 16-hours to present their case in total.

Proceedings will reconvene at 12pm EST (5pm GMT) and Democrats have about eight hours left to make their case for convicting the former president.

Watch proceedings as they unfold on Independent TV here and find out about what coverage is on offer throughout the trial here.

Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday

Once Democrats have made their case, the former US president’s lawyers will also have up to 16 hours to pose a counter-argument to allegations he caused the Capitol riot.

This could in theory mean up to another two eight-hour days that lead into the weekend as the defence states its own argument.

Currently Trump's legal team have suggested they'll keep their case short and they expect to wrap up on Friday.

Next week

The trial is expected to continue if necessary during the federal holiday Monday for Presidents' Day, CNN reported.

After arguments are laid out by both the prosecution and defence, senators will have a total of four hours to question the prosecutors and the defense team.

This could take place either over the weekend or next week depending on the length of proceedings at the end of the week.

Following this, the Senate will then decide whether they will call on witnesses and documents, which will include a debate and a vote in the Democratic-led Senate.

It is yet unclear whether the Senate will vote to call witnesses. If they do this will add more time to proceedings but if not the trial could then swiftly come to a close with its final steps.

When will the trial end?

Potential motions by senators, up to four hours of closing arguments, time for deliberation, and then finally a vote on whether to convict Mr Trump for incitement to insurrection would follow.

The former president’s previous impeachment trial took three weeks, but this time around there has been speculation that the proceedings will only take around a week before a vote is taken.

However, a definitive answer can not be given for certain as to how the trial will play out.

Democrats are also keen to allow US president Joe Biden to pass his legislative agenda through Congress, and will not want to spend too much time on the proceedings.

How will the Senate vote?

In order to secure a conviction, a supermajority of 67 votes, will be needed. At least 17 Senate Republicans alongside all 50 Democratic senators would have to vote against Mr Trump.

However, this seems unlikely as only six Republican senators voted on Tuesday that the trial was constitutional and should go ahead at all.