Donald Trump Georgia probe going ahead after state supreme court rules unanimously: The unanimous ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court allowed the probe in Fulton County, which could lead to indictments, to go forward, against Donald Trump.
Donald Trump: Headed to Jail?
Former President Donald Trump faces another potentially ruinous legal case in Fulton County, Georgia, in which he and some close to him may be indicted for their attempts to overturn the election result in that state. The grand jury in that case was empaneled last week, with charging decisions expected by the end of the summer.
Now, that state’s Supreme Court has batted down an attempt by Trump to shut down that probe.
According to CNN, Georgia Supreme Court on Monday dismissed what it described as a “long shot legal bid” by Trump to scuttle the probe. Intervening would have required “extraordinary circumstances,” and the court found that those weren’t met.
“And, with regard to Petitioner’s request to disqualify Willis from representing any party in any and all proceedings involving him, we note only that Petitioner has not presented in his original petition either the facts or the law necessary to mandate Willis’s disqualification by this Court at this 5 time on this record,” the court said in their unanimous ruling.
“(Trump) has not shown that this case presents one of those extremely rare circumstances in which this Court’s original jurisdiction should be invoked, and therefore, the petition is dismissed,” the court added.
Of the nine members of the Georgia Supreme Court, eight were appointed by Republican governors, as Georgia has been governed by the GOP for the last several years. Trump does have other legal challenges pending to challenge the Georgia investigation.
Fani Willis, the Fulton Country District Attorney, has been investigating the actions of Trump and his allies after the 2020 election, in which Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee in a generation to lose Georgia. Willis has said that she is investigating “attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election.”
A “special grand jury,” in the spring, had recommended some charges, although the report that was released was heavily redacted. But that jury’s forewoman soon went on a media tour in which she heavily implied that charges were coming for Trump and others. Last week, two grand juries were empaneled, one of which will hear arguments in the Trump case.
“It’s important that you base your decision on the facts as you find them. Not based on malice, hatred, or envy,” Judge Robert McBurney, the judge in the case, reportedly told the new jurors last week, per CNN. “You need to remain diligent as you do this. The days can drag on. …We are relying on each of you to listen carefully and decide.”
“The investigation crossed a major milestone last week, with the swearing-in of a new grand jury that has the power to approve potential indictments,” CNN said. “Willis has indicated that this could happen as soon as soon as next month. A special purpose grand jury in Fulton County previously heard evidence from 75 witnesses, including Trump White House officials, former Trump lawyers and advisers, Georgia officials, and election experts.”
The case involves Trump’s infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump asked him to “find” votes to allow him to win Georgia, as well as the “fake electors” scheme. Among those named as potential targets are former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was Trump’s attorney, and the slate of “fake electors” in Georgia.
The former president is also accused of trying to lean on Gov. Brian Kemp in the post-2020 period.
The Georgia case joins the federal investigation, by Special Counsel Jack Smith, into Trump’s post-election behavior, including January 6, as potential areas of legal peril for the former president, joining the two cases in which he has already been indicted, the New York business record-falsifying case, and the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
From 19FortyFive
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