ATLANTA, USA (TEH) — The Georgia Supreme Court delivered a decisive blow to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt the ongoing Fulton County criminal investigation into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. In a unanimous decision, the court dismissed Trump’s legal challenge, stating that he failed to demonstrate the “extraordinary circumstances” necessary for their intervention at this stage.
The court’s five-page opinion rejected Trump’s request to dismiss the extensive evidence collected during the Fulton County investigation and to prevent state prosecutors from utilizing the material in future criminal or civil proceedings. The ruling emphasized that Trump had not presented a compelling argument warranting the court’s involvement, stating, “(Trump) has not shown that this case presents one of those extremely rare circumstances in which this Court’s original jurisdiction should be invoked, and therefore, the petition is dismissed,” wrote CNN.
It is noteworthy that eight out of the nine members of the Georgia Supreme Court were appointed by Republican governors, further underscoring the consensus among the judges.
While this legal setback is a significant blow to Trump’s attempts to impede the investigation, he still faces other ongoing legal challenges related to the Fulton County criminal probe. Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing and claims that the prosecutors are politically motivated and aiming to undermine his potential 2024 presidential campaign.
The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously dismissed former president Donald Trump’s petition to block a DA from investigating him over allegations of 2020 election interference and to throw out evidence gathered by a special purpose grand jury in the case. https://t.co/9qu6eOwVeP
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 18, 2023
The Fulton County investigation, led by District Attorney Fani Willis, is expected to reach charging decisions soon. The focus of the probe is on Trump and his associates’ endeavors to exert pressure on Georgia election officials, state lawmakers, the governor, and federal prosecutors in a bid to overturn the election results. Trump lost Georgia by a margin of less than 12,000 votes out of the 5 million ballots cast.
In addition to attempting to halt the investigation, Trump’s legal challenges sought to disqualify Willis from any further involvement in the criminal proceedings. However, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s petition failed to provide sufficient facts or legal basis to justify Willis’s disqualification.
Willis’ office declined to comment on the ruling.
Significant progress was made in the investigation last week when a new grand jury was sworn in with the authority to approve potential indictments. Willis has indicated that indictments could be forthcoming as early as next month. Prior to the formation of the current grand jury, a special purpose grand jury in Fulton County heard testimony from 75 witnesses, including former White House officials, Trump’s former lawyers and advisers, Georgia officials, and election experts.
State prosecutors are also examining Trump’s efforts to undermine the Electoral College process by submitting a slate of “fake electors” in Georgia. Additionally, they are investigating attempts by Trump allies to compromise voting systems in the state as part of their unsuccessful efforts to substantiate widespread fraud claims.
