Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty and sought to sever his case from other defendants who are accused along with him of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set arraignment hearings for Trump and the 18 others charged in the case for September 6. A court filing waiving arraignment means Trump won’t have to show up for that.
The decision to skip an in-person appearance averts the dramatic arraignments that have accompanied the three other criminal cases Trump faces, in which the Republican former president has been forced amid tight security into a courtroom and entered “not guilty” pleas before crowds of spectators. Georgia courts have fairly permissive rules on news cameras in the courtroom, and this step means Trump won’t have to enter a plea on television.
An attorney for Trump also asked McAfee to separate his case from those of defendants who have asked for an expedited trial that is scheduled to start on October 23. Giving the former president less than two months to prepare a defence against a 98-page indictment would “violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law”, attorney Steve Sadow said in a court filing.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she wants all of the defendants tried together, and she has asked the judge to set an October 23 trial date for everyone.