Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is heading back to court early next year, in a case that could determine whether she’s allowed to run in France’s 2027 presidential race.

A Paris appeals court has scheduled the hearings from 13 January to 12 February 2026, with a verdict expected by next summer. The timing is critical: Le Pen has already been barred from holding office after a first trial earlier this year found she and several others misused EU funds.

Back in March, judges ruled that Le Pen and 24 former Members of the European Parliament created a system that funneled €3.2 million in EU money to pay National Front (now National Rally) party staff between 2004 and 2016.

She was sentenced to four years in prison—half of which could be served under house arrest with an ankle monitor—along with a €100,000 fine and, most importantly, a five-year ban from holding office. Those penalties are on hold while she appeals.

Le Pen’s lawyers argued against the January timetable, warning the trial could cast a long shadow over the March 2026 municipal elections. Still, the court went ahead and locked in the dates.

For her part, Le Pen insists she’s the victim of a political witch hunt and says she won’t change her defense strategy.

The stakes couldn’t be higher: the trial will play out less than two years before the 2027 presidential race, where Le Pen is widely expected to run for a fourth time. Photo by Rémi Noyon, Wikimedia commons.