The racketeering and conspiracy case against Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants is a complex legal situation. Two of Trump's co-defendants, Sydney Powell and Kenneth Chesbro, have requested their trials to proceed ahead of the others, leading to a procedural and logistical challenge. Judge Scott McAfee has separated their trials from the rest, potentially leading to the case being divided into smaller groups.
The remaining 17 defendants, including John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Sean Still, David Schaefer, and Robert Sheely, have requested to be tried separately. Rudy Giuliani does not want to be tried alongside Chesbro and Powell, and Mark Meadows wants to be tried alone. Scott Hall wants to be tried separately from those not accused of crimes related to the alleged voting machine breach. Harrison Floyd and Ruby Freeman have similar requests.
This has resulted in a highly convoluted trial structure, likened to a complex version of Tetris. For now, Kenneth Chesbro and Sydney Powell are expected to be the first co-conspirators to face justice in the courtroom. The judge expects the jury to be selected by November 3rd, which means lawyers could start presenting arguments well before the end of 2023. The trial is expected to be highly contentious, with disagreements over the kind of evidence that will be allowed to be used in the case.
The remaining 17 defendants, including Donald Trump, have until December 1st to submit any pre-trial motions. Judge McAfee has made it clear that he does not intend to drag out the case, suggesting that 2024 will be a very busy year.
1. The racketeering and conspiracy case against Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants is being discussed in court in Fulton County, Georgia.
2. Sydney Powell and Kenneth Chespro, two of Trump's co-defendants, have requested their trials to proceed on October 23rd, ahead of the others.
3. Judge Scott McAfee has separated Powell and Chespro's trials from the rest of the defendants, stating that this separation is a procedural and logistical necessity.
4. The judge has also indicated that further divisions of the 17 defendants may be required, potentially breaking the case into smaller groups.
5. The 19 defendants in the case include Kenneth Chasebro, Sydney Powell, and others such as Donald Trump, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, and Sean.
6. Some defendants, including Kenneth Chesbro and Sydney Powell, will be tried together and separately from the rest.
7. Other defendants, such as Rudy Giuliani, do not want to be tried alongside Chesbro and Powell, and it appears this wish will be granted.
8. Former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows wants to be tried alone in federal court, but this will only happen if his appeal goes his way.
9. Mr. Scott Hall wants to be tried separately from all the defendants who were not accused of crimes related to the alleged voting machine breach in Coffee County.
10. Harrison Floyd wants to be tried only with the other people accused of harassing elections worker Ruby Freeman.
11. Two of the remaining three co-defendants have not yet filed any motions to sever their cases.
12. Ray Smith, a former lawyer for the Trump campaign, has suggested that the co-defendants should all be tried in manageable groups.
13. Kenneth Chesbro and Sydney Powell are expected to be the first co-conspirators in this case to face Justice in a courtroom.
14. The judge expects the jury in this case to be selected by November 3rd, which means lawyers could start presenting arguments to that jury well before the end of 2023.
15. Lawyers for Ms Powell and Mr. Chesbro are in court arguing about what kind of evidence they will be allowed to use in this case, and there has been much disagreement and tension.
16. The judge has set a hard and fast deadline of December 1st for the 17 other defendants, including Donald Trump, to submit any pre-trial motions.
17. Judge McAfee has made it clear that he is not going to slow walk this case and does not appear ready to let Donald Trump push this case into the distant future.
18. This means that 2024 is going to be a very busy year.
19. When prosecuting large cases, the judge usually asks for input about the groupings of defendants.
20. The prosecutors are likely to provide that input about what makes sense, and the judge also wants to hear what the pre-trial motions are.