Former president Donald Trump, the current GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential race, has opposed the new trial schedule, to start on Oct. 23, proposed by prosecution in his Fulton County case.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Thursday proposed an Oct. 23 trial date for all 19 defendants charged with racketeering over their challenge of the Georgia 2020 election results, significantly sooner than the original March 4, 2024, trial date she proposed earlier.
The two-month deadline proposal to try all 19 defendants together came in response to defendant Kenneth Chesebro filing a motion demanding a “speedy trial” on Wednesday.
Managing the schedules of 19 different defendants was a concern legal experts had raised when the indictment was first handed up on Aug. 14, and Ms. Willis said in a press conference afterwards that she would go to trial within six months.
Attorney Steven Sadow, who joined President Trump’s legal team just Thursday, wrote a response to the district attorney’s motion to oppose the schedule.
“President Trump also alerts the Court that he will be filing a timely motion to sever his case from that of co-defendant Chesebro, who has filed a demand for speedy trial, or any other co-defendant who files such a demand,” he wrote.
Other defendants are expected to do the same, and sever their cases.
Mr. Chesebro’s attorney, Scott Grubman, indicated the October trial would not be a problem.
“Mr. Chesebro will be prepared to move forward with trial for whatever date the Court ultimately sets,” he told The Epoch Times, before Judge Scott McAfee ordered a Nov. 3 trial date for Mr. Chesebro.
“The scheduling will occur on an expedited timeline to meet the November 3, 2023 deadline to begin trial,” he wrote, adding a Sept. 6 arraignment, Sept. 20 discovery deadline, and Sept. 27 motions deadline. A pretrial conference for Mr. Chesebro will be held Sept. 29.
Judge McAfee noted in his order that the deadlines for Mr. Chesebro’s trial proceedings do not apply to any other co-defendant.
