Georgia. Trial of attempted electoral fraud could last 4 months

A Special Counsel Nathan Wade’s estimate was made during a hearing today before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on requests by two of the accused to be tried separately.

The hearing was broadcast live on television and on the judge’s YouTube channel, which is a marked difference from the other three criminal cases against Trump, in which cameras were not allowed into the courtroom during proceedings.

Wade said the estimated length of the trial did not include jury selection and that the state would call more than 150 witnesses.

Last month, Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis used state money-extortion law to obtain a comprehensive 41-member indictment and said she plans to try 19 defendants together, a complex challenge.

All suspects claimed innocence. Some of the defendants are already trying to expedite the process, some are trying to separate themselves from the alleged conspiracy case, and others are trying to transfer the charges to a federal court.

Lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell filed requests for a speedy and isolated trial, meaning their trials would have to start in early November. For his part, Trump has asked to be tried separately from anyone filing a request for a speedy trial.

After Chesebro filed a request for a speedy trial just over a week after the indictment was announced, Willis asked that an October 23 trial date be set for all 19 defendants. But the judge scheduled for that day just the start of the Chesebro trial.

Meanwhile, Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was in federal court last week, arguing that he was acting in his capacity as a federal employee and that his case should be heard by a federal judge.

Four other defendants who are also seeking to transfer their cases to federal court have hearings scheduled with Jones later this month.

After these requests are answered, the selection of the jury will follow, a process that may take several weeks.

On Tuesday, the prosecution team asked the judge to authorize the use of a questionnaire that potential jurors would have to complete before presenting themselves for selection, which “will facilitate and simplify the jury selection process in many ways” .

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