Judge Rejects Request To Try All Trump Georgia Defendants Together

On Thursday, a Georgia state judge rejected District Attorney Fani Willis‘ request to try all 19 defendants in the Georgia election interference case next month.

The Georgia judge's ruling means former President Donald Trump will not be tried in October alongside at least two of his co-defendants who invoked their right to a speedy trial, according to The Hill.

“The Court joins the skepticism expressed by several federal courts that denying severance always ensures efficiency, especially in ‘mega trials' such as this,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote in an order. 

“[T]he Court finds sua sponte, without the need for any particularized showing from each defendant, that severance is an absolute necessity,” McAfee wrote. “Additional divisions of the  defendants may well be required. That is a decision for another day once the many anticipated pretrial motions have been resolved and a realistic trial date approaches.”

Trump and his 18 co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty to the combined 41 charges they face. (RELATED: Trump Files Motion To Stop Georgia Indictment)

Judge McAfee also ruled that defendants Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell – the two lawyers who invoked their right to a speedy trial last month – will be tried together.

Chesebro had argued in court filings that he never met Powell, rendering it “impossible” to try their cases together.  

“The  Defendants'  judicial economy concerns simply do not outweigh the resources expended through an additional trial, the shuttering of a second judge's docket, and the resultant delay to a multitude of other criminal and civil cases,  many of which involve inmates in lengthy pretrial confinement,” McAfee wrote.

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