Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, overseeing the Georgia election subversion case involving former President Donald Trump and 18 others, will hold a significant hearing at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
This hearing will be publicly broadcast in contrast to previous proceedings in federal and New York courts.
It could offer insights into the strength of the evidence held by Fulton County prosecutors against Trump and his associates, who are accused of attempting to manipulate Georgia’s 2020 election results in favor of Trump.
In preparation for the hearing, Judge McAfee has expressed a desire to receive a “good-faith estimate” from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s team regarding the timeline for a joint trial involving all 19 defendants.
He also seeks information on the number of witnesses and exhibits prosecutors intend to present. This information will help determine whether the case should proceed as a single trial or be divided into subgroups for efficiency.
Pro-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro and former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell have requested separating their cases from the other defendants.
If granted, this separation could result in Chesebro and Powell going to trial as early as October, while trial dates for the remaining defendants would be scheduled separately.
All 19 defendants, including Powell and Chesebro, have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have waived their right to an in-person arraignment.
Chesebro’s legal team has filed a separate motion to prevent him from being tried alongside Powell. They argue that Chesebro had no direct contact or communication with Powell and wasn’t involved in the same alleged schemes.
Chesebro’s trial is currently scheduled for October 23. However, Willis intends to keep all defendants together for a massive trial starting in October, a timeline that Trump and many co-defendants oppose. They have filed motions to delay their trials beyond October.
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