The decision to bring far-right leader Marine Le Pen's appeal trial date forward comes as a blow to the rule of law. Politically speaking, the move is an attempt to silence her party's outcry at her conviction – it was "very good news," Le Pen praised – and seeks to prove, to an absurd degree, that the judiciary does not meddle in politics. The new timeframe, however, not only barely respects the formalities but also aims at pretending her trial never happened, in order to allow the electoral process to go ahead as planned.

The decision raises serious questions. That is not to say that Le Pen should be prevented from running in the presidential election at all costs – and the right to appeal is an essential one. But it's a matter of principle. Le Pen was sentenced on Monday, March 31, to four years in prison, two of which suspended and two to be served at home with an electronic tag, and to a five-year ban on running for office, effective immediately. The appeal trial, given the usual delays, was not expected to be held before two or even three years' time, followed by at least two months of deliberations before a judgment. Drafting the decision would have easily taken three more months – too late for the 2027 election campaign.

The first problem is, undeniably, that the decision to accelerate the appeals court's ruling to the summer of 2026 is an exceptional one: It is tailor-made, to the benefit of Le Pen, undermining the principle of equality before the law, "one of the pillars of democracy," as underlined by the tribunal in its decision on Monday. The judges also noted that "in case of violations of criminal law, elected officials do not benefit from any immunity" and there should be no question of "claiming a privilege." What other defendant would see their appeal trial date brought forward to get a second chance to escape a conviction? No date has been set for the appeal trial in the case of the MoDem centrist party's parliamentary assistants, comparable to the case of Le Pen's party in all respects, even though the first trial was held in February 2024 – no doubt because MoDem leader François Bayrou, now the prime minister, was acquitted in the first instance.

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