(AFP) – A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday froze all proceedings in the election interference case against former US president Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the southern state.
Trump, 77, is accused in Georgia of involvement in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election result in the state, where Democrat Joe Biden won by some 12,000 votes.
In March, the judge hearing the case rejected a bid by Trump and several other co-defendants to disqualify the district attorney who brought the charges following revelations that she had a romantic relationship with the man she hired as a special prosecutor.
Trump and his co-defendants appealed Judge Scott McAfee’s ruling and the Georgia Court of Appeals said this week that it would hear the appeal on October 4.
On Wednesday, the appellate court ordered a halt to all proceedings pending the outcome of the appeal.
The court order makes it all but certain the case will not reach trial before the November presidential election, in which Trump is expected to face Biden again as the Republican candidate.
Evidence in the case includes a taped phone call in which Trump asked a top Georgia election official to “find” enough votes to reverse the result.
Trump was convicted in a separate criminal case in New York last week of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star who alleged they had a sexual encounter.
Eighteen co-defendants were indicted in Georgia along with Trump on racketeering and other charges, including his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Four of Trump’s original co-defendants, including three former campaign lawyers, have pleaded guilty to lesser charges in deals that spared them prison time.
Trump is also facing federal charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results and for allegedly hoarding top secret documents at his Florida home and refusing to return them.
Neither of those cases is expected to take place before the election.
Trump’s lawyers have sought repeatedly to delay his various court cases until after the election, when he could potentially have the federal charges against him dropped if he wins.
© 2024 AFP
