Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has formally dismissed the 2020 election interference case against President Donald Trump and his co-defendants, following a request from the state of Georgia to abandon the prosecution.
“The State having moved for an entry of nolle prosequi for all remaining defendants, the Court grants the motion,” the order states. “This case is hereby dismissed in its entirety.”
Trump’s lead Georgia defense attorney, Steve Sadow, described the outcome as the end of what he called a politically motivated effort.
“The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare,” Sadow said in a statement.
Peter J. Skandalakis, who assumed responsibility for the case after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified, filed the motion to dismiss earlier Wednesday, saying the move was intended to “serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality.”
“This entire case, from the initiation of the District Attorney’s investigation in 2021 to the present, is without precedent,” Skandalakis wrote. “In my professional judgment, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years.”
The Georgia prosecution produced the widely circulated 2023 mugshot of then-candidate Trump.
“Never before, and hopefully never again, will our country face circumstances such as these. The case is now nearly five years removed from President Trump’s phone call with the Secretary of State, and two years have passed since the Grand Jury returned charges against President Trump and the eighteen other defendants,” Skandalakis continued. “There is no realistic prospect that a sitting President will be compelled to appear in Georgia to stand trial on the allegations in this indictment. Donald J. Trump’s current term as President of the United States of America does not expire until January 20, 2029; by that point, eight years will have elapsed since the phone call at issue.”
Skandalakis also explained why the remaining defendants will not face separate trials.
“Severing President Trump from the remaining defendants and conducting separate trials, while simultaneously waiting for the conclusion of his term and addressing all of the aforementioned legal issues, would be both illogical and unduly burdensome and costly for the State and for Fulton County,” he wrote. “The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia lacks the resources to conduct multiple trials in this matter.”
