Conservative powerhouse tapped to make case against dropping Eric Adams charges

• "In light of the Government's motion and the representation of the parties during the conference, it is clear that trial in this matter will not go forward on April 21," U.S. District Judge Dale Ho wrote.

State of play: Clement, who served as U.S. Solicitor General under former President George W. Bush, is tasked with addressing the legal standard to dismiss the case and under what circumstances dismissal should be granted.

• He now works as a partner at his own private law firm, focusing on high-stakes appeals. Clement has argued more than 100 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and was on President Trump's shortlist of potential Supreme Court justice appointees during his first term.

Catch up quick: The Trump administration's Justice Department requested that federal prosecutors drop federal bribery and fraud charges against Adams, who became the first NYC mayor to face criminal charges while in office.

• Top federal prosecutors left their positions rather than cede to the request.

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she won't exercise her power to remove Adams from his position.

The latest: "Normally, courts are aided in their decision-making through our system of adversarial testing, which can be particularly helpful in cases presenting unusual fact patterns or in cases of great public importance," Ho wrote.

• "There has been no adversarial testing of the Government's position generally or the form of its requested relief specifically," he added.

What's next: The amicus briefs are due by March 7, and the court will hold oral arguments on March 14, if necessary.

• Adams was excused from appearing at future proceedings.

Go deeper: Hochul won't remove NYC mayor, will instate guardrails