The Georgia indictment charges a 19-member criminal enterprise
Bringing the case against Trump in Fulton County, Georgia, under RICO’s ‘Electoral Crimes’ Act to a Federal Court
Donald Trump is one of the people indicted in Fulton County for allegedly attempting to pressure Georgia officials into changing the outcome of the 2020 election.
There is a section of the indictment that deals with the efforts to copy election data in Coffee County and the hiring of an IT firm to look for voter fraud which did not exist.
Several individuals who allegedly participated in that plan are also facing charges, including former Coffee County Election Supervisor Misty Hampton and Cathy Latham, a former Republican Party official in Coffee County.
Under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act, prosecutors simply need to prove that the defendants were associated “in fact” as opposed to involved in a formal enterprise, says Fred Smith Jr., a professor at Emory University School of Law.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she wants to try all 19 defendants together, which could pose significant logistical challenges to an already-complicated case.
According to NBC News, certain defendants can file a petition to argue that they won’t get a fair trial as a group and ask the court to separate their cases.
Stephen Gillers, a professor at the New York University School of Law says they may be able to get the case moved to federal court.
Gillers says a change in venue would likely benefit the defendants, since a jury would be picked from a more conservative area than the one in Fulton County. Plus, he adds, it could delay the case for several months.
“Ultimately the federal court might send it back to state court, or federal court might keep it if the court concludes that the conduct alleged was under color of federal law,” he adds, predicting “a real fight over that … in the next two months.”
They would be in front of a judge and have the charges heard and then they would have to take fingerprints and mugshots, which would be a first for Trump. The defendants could be arraigned individually or together.
Against the Practice of Law: a Note on GiveSendGo, a Social Media Campaign to Defend Donald Trump’s 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate
A note on the GiveSendGo site warns that the government is trying tocriminalize the practice of law in regards to the former senior legal adviser and personal counsel to President Trump. Help her fight back and be with the truth!
Ellis posted a link to her campaign on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and she said she was being represented by an attorney.
“We will fight for Jenna. If you want to support our efforts, you can Donate by clicking the link below. America and the profession of law are worth fighting for.
NPR tried to get a quote and representation from the man who owned the Denver law firm and didn’t hear back before publication.
According to the crowdfunder page, Ellis had raised more than $13,000 as of midday Wednesday. More than 1,000 prayers have been raised as a result of the site, and supporters can send those prayers to her or donate money to do so.
Ellis is backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary. She described DeSantis as the “right choice” with “excellent rationale” on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday.
Ellis was censured by Colorado legal officials last March after she admitted to making 10 “misrepresentations” during Trump’s attempts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election, The Associated Press reported.
