Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked a judge Tuesday to expedite the trials of all 19 defendants in Georgia's election interference case.
So far, only two defendants, attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, have asked for a quick trial on their charges.
Judge Scott McAfee of the Fulton County Superior Court's Atlanta division granted Chesebro his speedy trial last week and set the date for Oct. 23. McAfee has yet to rule on Powell's motion.
But Willis' office is now seeking for the 17 other defendants to have their trials pushed up as well, including Donald Trump. In a Thursday court filing, the former president's legal team opposed Willis' maneuver.
Willis argued that all defendants "should be tried together, but at an absolute minimum, the Court should set Defendant Powell's trial and that of any other defendant who may file a speedy trial demand on the same date as Defendant Chesebro's."
She also urged McAfee not to sever the cases into 19 separate trials or smaller groups.
Prosecutors made a similar appeal to expedite the trials Wednesday after McAfee assigned the date to Chesebro, calling on the judge to place all remaining cases for Oct. 23.
Alina Habba, a Trump spokeswoman, told Newsmax on Friday that, barring any new information, his team will be asking "for a fair trial when everyone is ready at the appropriate time."
Trump was fingerprinted, booked, and photographed at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday after a grand jury empaneled by Willis indicted him and his 18 co-defendants on charges of trying to subvert the state's 2020 election results.
He was indicted Aug. 14. Among his prominent co-defendants are his former lead attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.