Donald Trump has more charges against him in Georgia dismissed in another blow to Fani Willis
A Georgia judge on Thursday dismissed two counts in the state’s 2020 election interference lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, as well as one other count against allies of the former president.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee ruled that prosecutors lacked standing to bring the charges, which allege filing false documents in federal court.
McAfee allowed the rest of the case to proceed, including eight charges against Trump.
Trump and 14 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges stemming from what prosecutors say was a scheme to overturn Trump’s narrow defeat in Georgia in the 2020 election.
The case has been on hold since June while a Georgia appeals court considers whether to disqualify the lead prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, for alleged misconduct related to a romantic relationship she had with a former top deputy.
Donald Trump faces two more charges in Georgia election interference case
Oral arguments at the appeals court are scheduled for December, meaning the case will not proceed before the Nov. 5 election, when Trump, the Republican nominee, will face Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
A separate federal lawsuit against Trump over his efforts to overturn his election defeat at the national level has also been significantly delayed by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that presidents enjoy broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
Thursday’s decision comes amid allegations that Trump and his allies compiled a list of fraudulent presidential electors and filed a civil lawsuit challenging the election results, alleging it contained false claims.
The ruling means that five of the original 13 charges against Trump in last year’s indictment have been dropped.
McAfee dismissed six other charges in March, including three against Trump.
According to Trump’s lawyer Steve Sadow, the ruling proves that Trump and his legal team “won again.”
A spokesman for Willis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate decision on Thursday, McAfee upheld the primary charge in the case, racketeering, brought against all defendants.