A Fulton County judge set the first hearing date for the Georgia election trial of former President Donald Trump on Thursday. The former president’s counsel, Steve Sadow, will make his first appearance representing Trump at a Fulton County court on December 1.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will hear arguments from Trump’s attorney and District Attorney Fani Willis on eight motions, each written and submitted by another defendant and adopted by Trump.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 13 state felony indictments after Willis charged him in August. Though its own filings are scarce, Trump has adopted several of those submitted by other defendants, including multiple attempts to strike individual indictments and quash the case entirely. McAfee has already ruled against the defendants who filed some of these motions but has not determined whether their arguments apply to Trump.
However, McAfee has not issued a ruling on Atlanta-based attorney Bob Cheeley’s motion challenging the validity of indictment under Georgia’s Racketeering and Corrupt Influenced Organizations (RICO) Act. McAfee will seek to determine whether Willis’ indictments of Cheeley and Trump follow Georgia’s RICO law, and if not, determine whether the cases should be dismissed.
Lawyers for Cheeley, who aided Trump’s 2020 election contest in Georgia, will likely also appear in court. It remains unclear whether Trump or Cheeley intend to personally appear on December 1.
Trump was originally charged along with 18 other defendants, but four have since accepted plea deals with Willis’ office. Bail bondsman Scott Hall and attorneys Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Ken Chesebro have all reached agreements with Willis that involve no jail time, probation, and apology letters to the State of Georgia.
Sadow previously suggested the plea deals secured by Powell and Ellis will benefit Trump at trial. After Powell secured her plea deal, which also requires her to testify at upcoming trials, Sadow said in a statement he expects the agreement “will be favorable” to Trump “[a]ssuming truthful testimony” at trial.
After Ellis accepted her plea agreement on Tuesday, the lawyer likewise said in a statement he believed Willis’ requirement for Ellis to testify at future trials would benefit his client, and noted that Ellis’ admission of guilt “doesn’t even mention President Trump.”
Willis’ greater indictment against Trump and the other defendants was previously severed from the case against Powell and Chesebro in September after they invoked their right to a speedy trial. With both defendants’ plea deals secured, the court seems poised to begin hearings for the Trump trial.
However, a start date for Trump’s trial may be further complicated by the efforts of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to remove his case from Fulton County to a federal court. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered oral arguments for Meadows and Willis’ office for December 15.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
