One Trial with 19 Defendants Only ‘Feasible’ Option to Prosecute Georgia Trump Case, Fani Willis Claims

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis claimed the only “feasible” way to prosecute former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants is in one, unified case on Wednesday. Willis said separating the cases, as multiple defendants have requested, would “create an enormous strain” for Fulton County.

Willis (pictured above), in a legal filing submitted with colleagues F. McDonald Wakeford and Alex Bernick, argued to preserve the case against Trump and the other defendants who helped him contest the 2020 election. The filing was submitted to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday.

Fulton County “maintains that all the defendants shall be tried together,” citing case law before referencing “[t]he issue of judicial economy,” as Willis and her colleagues explain that “holding three ore more simultaneous, high-profile trials would create a host of security issues” and “unavoidable burdens” for “witnesses and victims.”

Specifically, Willis wrote that one trial against Trump and 18 other defendants “would be feasible within the Fulton County Courthouse,” but argued “breaking this case up into multiple lengthy trials would create an enormous strain on the judicial resources of the Fulton County Superior Court.”

The county noted the case against defendants Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, both attorneys who were involved with Trump’s 2020 efforts in Georgia, have trials currently scheduled for October 23, and highlighted the likelihood that witnesses would be required for multiple trials simultaneously if any are severed. This, Willis argued, could jeopardize Chesebro and Powell’s right to a speedy trial.

A possible solution offered by Fulton County would be to require those defendants who do not wish to go to trial in October, alongside Powell and Chesebro, to waive their right to a speedy trial. Trump and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows have already waived that right, reported MSNBC. Still, that outlet suggested the case will “almost certainly be split up,” at least for Chesebro and Powell.

Lawyers for Fulton County, Chesebro, and Powell were in court last week for the case’s first hearing. The defendants asked McAfee to sever their cases from each other, and from the greater indictment, with Chesebro specifically noting that he had no contact with Powell, and did not meet her until the legal defense began.

In that hearing, special prosecutor Nathan Wade argued that Fulton County will need to call 150 witnesses over a four-month trial for each defendant, even if the cases are severed.

Wade claimed “we must prove the entire conspiracy” against each defendant, which he told McAfee means the court would “try the same case 19 times,” each requiring four months and testimony from 150 witnesses, if the cases were severed.

McAfee denied the request to sever the joint case against Powell and Chesebro, and lawyers submitted arguments regarding whether a case against Powell and Chesebro should be split from the greater indictment on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Meadows has asked for the case against him to be removed from Fulton County, citing his position as a government employee during the time his alleged offenses were committed.

A federal judge denied Meadows’ request, but the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing his case. The higher court has also granted Meadows’ request for an expedited review, and Fulton County has already submitted arguments against Meadows’ request. Meadows’ attorneys are expected to follow with their own filings.

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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].
Photo “Fani Willis” by Fani Willis.