Georgia judge rules DA can’t try all 19 defendants together in Trump RICO case

The trial for the two defendants, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, is scheduled to begin Oct. 23.  McAfee denied their request to have trials separate from each other. McAfee said his decision “is simply a procedural and logistical inevitability.”

“Beginning with the logistical concerns, the Fulton County Courthouse simply contains no courtroom adequately large enough to hold all 19 defendants, their multiple attorneys and support staff, the sheriff’s deputies, court personnel, and the State’s prosecutorial team,” McAfee said in the ruling. “Relocating to another larger venue raises security concerns that cannot be rapidly addressed.”

McAfee also pointed to the projected length of trial as a factor. Prosecutors have said it could be four months long, with over 150 witnesses.

“[W]e must consider the ripple effects of a monthslong, multi-defendant trial on the local criminal justice system, sidelining dozens of defense counsel from handling other cases and preventing this Court — and quite likely most colleagues — from managing the rest of the docket.”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had argued the 19 defendants should be tried together, arguing in a court filing that it would be feasible to do so, “whereas breaking this case up into multiple lengthy trials would create an enormous strain on the judicial resources of the Fulton County Superior Court.”

This is a breaking story. It will be updated.