Trump Secures a Rare Victory in Georgia Election Case

The Epoch Times Header

Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell will have a trial on Oct. 23, but President Trump and 16 others will be tried later.

A judge ruled Thursday that former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election case won’t start in October.

The ruling (pdf) from Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court stated that the former president will be tried separately from and after the trials of two of his former attorneys, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, in the case.

No specific date has been set for President Trump’s trial in the case, where 19 defendantsย were criminally chargedย in August with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, along with a laundry list of other charges, in their efforts to dispute the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Online records from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office showed President Trump was booked on 13 charges related to allegations that a strategy by several lawyers counseling President Trump to set up alternate groups of electors in multiple states, thereby postponing the electoral vote count, amounted to a criminal enterprise. All have pleaded not guilty.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had been pushing to try all 19 defendants together, arguing that it would be fairer and more efficient.

Judge McAfee cited logistical concerns and the pending legal issues in separating the trial of Mr. Chesebro and Ms. Powell from that of President Trump and the other 16 co-defendants.

โ€œThe precarious ability of the Court to safeguard each defendantโ€™s due process rights and ensure adequate pretrial preparation on the current accelerated track weighs heavily, if not decisively, in favor of severance,โ€ the judge wrote. Heย also hinted at the possibility of further splitting the cases among the 17 remaining defendants.

He expressed doubts about the prosecutors’ claim that a joint trial for all 19 defendants would streamline the process.

Judge McAfee further pointed out that the Fulton County courthouse doesn’t have the space to accommodate all involved, and that finding a larger venue might pose security issues.

The prosecutors argued that they’d be presenting the same witnesses and evidence under Georgia’s RICO Act for every trial in this case, and told the judge last week they’d expect any trial to take four months, excluding the jury selection phase.

However, Judge McAfee noted that each defendant still needs time for introductory remarks, concluding arguments, cross-examinations, and challenges to evidence.

“Thus, even if the Stateโ€™s case remains identical in length, and the aggregate time invested by the Court is increased, the burden on the jurors for each individual trial is lessened through shorter separate trials,” he wrote.

Byย Mimi Nguyen Ly

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Why Fishermen Are Catching Fewer Lobsters in Maine

For veteran lobsterman Travis Dammier, it was the end of another trip at sea on a solo voyage to earn a living.

Viewers like you

There is no constitutional authority for any spending on public broadcasting โ€“ period. Any questions: See Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Beyond the Trump-Musk fallout?

We are witnessing an unprecedented, unhinged Democrat effort to use lawfare, big Democrat donors, street theater, congressional disruptions, potty-mouth videos, the administrative state, the legacy media, and discredited pollsters to stop the Trump agenda.

Trans-wormal

No worm ever said "I am anthropomorphizing, I am a butterfly" to a toad or flock of geese and expected acknowledgement and support.

In Greenlandโ€™s Icy Capital, Past Troubles Haunt Hopes for the Future

As geopolitical realities and ongoing economic growth raise the stakes, U.S. interest in Greenland and the dream of independence may change things in a big way.

News

Why Drug Price Reform Alone Wonโ€™t Heal America

What happens when medications become too cheap, plentiful, and automatic and we donโ€™t reform how drugs are used? We risk clinical harm.

Trump Says Musk Will Face โ€˜Very Serious Consequencesโ€™ If He Backs Democrats

President Trump warned that Musk could face โ€œserious consequencesโ€ if he decides to back Democratic political candidates in upcoming elections.

Judge Declines to Block Trump Admin From Dismantling Library Services Agency

A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump admin to move forward with plan to dismantle the federal agency that funds libraries nationwide.

Supreme Court to Review Alabamaโ€™s Death Row Case Concerning IQ Test

The Supreme Court will consider how courts should weigh multiple IQ tests when assessing a death row defendantโ€™s claim of intellectual disability.

US Travel Ban Will Not Hinder Los Angeles Olympics, LA28 CEO Says

Trumpโ€™s directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering US exempts athletes. Officials confident Games have full backing of administration.

Musk Mulls New Political Party Amid Feud With Trump

Elon Musk is considering launching a new political party in wake of his public fallout with President Trump over a major Republican tax and spending bill.

Citigroup Reverses Course on Controversial Firearm Policies

Citigroup reversed its policy requiring retail business clients to refrain from selling firearms to those who havenโ€™t passed background checks.

AI Is Taking Thousands of Jobs; Is Yours at Risk?

Just as the internet radically changed how America conducts business, AI is also making waves in the workplace by taking thousands of jobs.
spot_img

Related Articles