Wilmington, Delaware - A US federal judge on Wednesday set June 3 as the tentative date for the start of the trial of President Joe Biden's son Hunter, on charges of illegal gun possession.

District Judge Maryellen Noreika, in a court filing, set aside the weeks of June 3 and June 10 for a jury trial in Wilmington, Delaware, for the Hunter.

In October, the 54-year-old pleaded not guilty to the gun charges.

He also faces tax evasion charges in California. The judge in that case has said he is aiming for a trial to begin on June 20.

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Hunter was hit with three felony charges stemming from his purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver in 2018 when, by his own admission, he was heavily addicted to drugs.

He also stands accused of making false statements for claiming on forms required for the gun purchase that he was not using drugs illegally at the time.

Based on the same statements, there's also a charge of illegal possession of a firearm – which he had for only 11 days in October 2018.

If convicted, Hunter could in theory face 25 years in prison, though in practice such offenses, if not accompanied by other charges, are seldom rarely by jail time.

But his legal troubles and controversies – which include allegations by Republicans that he engaged in corrupt business practices in China and Ukraine – are a constant drag on his father's political standing as he seeks a second term in the White House.

Republicans have opened an impeachment inquiry in Congress into what they insist is a Biden family criminal conspiracy but have provided no evidence that the president did anything wrong and have seen one key witness charged over making up claims of corruption.

Hunter has declined to testify in the proceedings.