The case, which involves 19 defendants, stems from a grand jury indictment issued in August 2023. The indictment accuses Trump and his allies of conspiring to interfere with the certification of the 2020 election results. The charges include allegations of a coordinated effort to pressure Georgia election officials, tamper with voting machines, and solicit alternate electors in an attempt to overturn the election's certified results. In a 22-page ruling, McAfee explained that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis lacks the authority to pursue charges that fall under federal jurisdiction. The dismissed counts pertained to perjury and filing false documents. This brings the total number of dropped charges against Trump to five. Earlier this year, the same judge dismissed three other charges, citing a lack of specificity in the allegations. Of the original 13 charges against Trump, eight remain. The ruling specifically dismissed the following counts:Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has dismissed two charges against former President Donald J. Trump and one charge against a co-defendant in the Georgia election interference case.
McAfee noted in his ruling that punishing individuals for filing documents in federal court could improperly limit the information federal courts can review, potentially impeding their ability to carry out their responsibilities. He further explained that Counts 14 and 15 imposed “a state sanction when a federal sanction is already in place,” which exceeded the state’s jurisdiction. Willis has not responded to requests for comment from multiple media outlets. Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney, issued a brief statement following the decision. “President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again,” he wrote. “The trial court has decided that counts 15 and 27 in the indictment must be quashed/dismissed.”
