Donald Trump Faces Major Blow As His Georgia Case Ends Without A Rulling

Donald Trump Faces Major Blow As His Georgia Case Ends Without A Rulling


In Fulton County Georgia there was a legal hearing concerning efforts to dismiss the state election subversion case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendant, David Shafer as reported by CNN News on Thursday, March 28 2024 The basis for seeking dismissal was First Amendment grounds The hearing lasted close to two hours during which both sides presented their arguments Trump's attorney, Steve Sadow, asserted that Trump's remarks about the 2020 presidential election in Georgia constituted core political speech protected under the First Amendment
Sadow repeatedly contended that the charges against Trump should be dropped because his actions as outlined in the indictment, fell within the realm of protected speech
He emphasized that Fulton County prosecutors lacked the authority to prosecute Trump solely based on the contention that his statements were false Sadow argued that any attempt to do so would be an infringement on Trump's constitutional rights Donald Wakeford, a prosecutor representing the Fulton County district attorney’s office countered that it was premature to entertain arguments invoking the First Amendment Wakeford asserted that such arguments should be presented to a jury during trial rather than at this preliminary stage Wakeford maintained that all the communications attributed to Trump in the indictment were not protected by the First Amendment He refuted Trump’s assertion that his false claims were protected speech, arguing instead that these falsehoods contributed to a criminal conspiracy Wakeford pointed to a previous federal judge's ruling in a related election subversion case in DC which rejected Trump's First Amendment defense Craig Gillen, representing David Shafer contested the allegations in the indictment, particularly the assertion that Shafer was not duly appointed as an elector. Gillen also raised the argument that Shafer like other co-conspirators, acted based on legal advice Despite the hearing, no trial date has been scheduled yet However, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis expressed her desire to proceed to trial before the November election. Willis had previously requested for the trial to commence in August and indicated the possibility of reiterating this request.
It is important to note that earlier in the week, a judge ruled that Trump's criminal trial related to hush money payments would commence in April The hearing underscores the high stakes involved in the legal proceedings against Trump and Shafer The outcome of these cases could have significant implications not only for the individuals involved but also for the broader political landscape As the legal battles continue, the focus remains on upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability for any alleged wrongdoing