The first trial of those indicted in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and his allies will begin on October 23, and Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee said Monday he will instruct jurors to expect a five month trial.
If McAfee’s estimate is accurate, the case against pro-Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell is likely to be ongoing when Georgia Republicans cast primary votes for their preferred Republican candidates on March 12, 2024. This means the trial could conclude as late as March 25.
Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee said he will instruct jurors to expect the trial to last “five months,” but “maybe we’ll do better” while in court on Monday. Potential jurors will begin meeting for selection on Friday.
Chesebro was indicted by Willis for his alleged involvement in a plot to create fraudulent Electoral College electors, and pass them off as public officials, while Powell was indicted for her alleged involvement in a plot to seize voting equipment to be examined for evidence of fraud. Both pro-Trump lawyers maintain their innocence, and had a joint case against them severed from the greater indictment against Trump after they invoked their right to a speedy trial.
McAfee previously said he expects the the trial to pause on Fridays, for about a week around Thanksgiving, and for a two weeks in December to accommodate Christmas and New Year’s Eve, describing the arrangement as the only way to find jurors for a lengthy, high profile trial. Willis’ office originally said it planned to call 150 witnesses for the trial, though defense attorneys claim she increased the number of witnesses.
The most recent primary election polling of Georgia voters indicates Trump is the preferred choice of 58 percent of Georgia Republicans, giving him a 42-point lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), who ranked second with 16 percent of support. That poll, conducted between September 25-28, also found the majority of Georgia voters are opposed to the controversial “Stop Cop City” petition to stop construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
Polling released on Monday suggests Trump will fare well against Biden in a 2024 rematch, with the former president securing 41 percent of support against Biden’s 38 percent. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who declared his candidacy as an independent candidate for president last week, received an additional 8 percent of support in the poll. Pollsters also showed Trump beating Biden in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
One poll, released late September, suggested Trump will lose to Biden if he is convicted of the indictments he is facing, but it was conducted by a pollster working for Never Back Down, a super PAC for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R).
A trial date for the racketeering case against Trump in Georgia has not been set, and lawyers are not required to submit arguments until December 1.
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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].
