Former President Donald Trump and others indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, on charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election will appear for arraignment before the Fulton County Superior Court on Sept. 6.
President Trump will be the first to appear at the court at 9:30 a.m., with arraignments of 18 co-defendants in the case following every 15 minutes, with a noon to 1 p.m. break for lunch.
The defendants have been charged under the state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, classified as a serious felony in the state, along with a laundry list of other charges in a controversial case led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Ms. Willis has alleged that the defendants in the case sought to use illegal means to overturn the 2020 election in the state.
Others charged in the case include several of President Trump’s allies, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, attorney John Eastman, attorney Sidney Powell, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, and others.
- President Trump: 9:30 a.m.
- Mr. Giuliani: 9:45 a.m.
- Mr. Eastman: 10 a.m.
- Ms. Powell: 10:15 a.m.
- Mr. Meadows: 10:30 a.m.
- Cathy Latham: 10:45 a.m.
- Scott Hall: 11 a.m.
- Mr. Chesebro: 11:15 a.m.
- Trevian Rutti: 11:30 a.m.
- Harrison Floyd: 11:45 a.m.
- Mr. Clark: 1 p.m.
- Stephen Lee: 1:15 p.m.
- Jenna Ellis: 1:30 p.m.
- Shawn Still: 1:45 p.m.
- Ray Smith: 2 p.m.
- David Schafer: 2:15 p.m.
- Michael Roman: 2:30 p.m.
- Bob Cheeley: 2:45 p.m.
- Misty Hampton: 3 p.m.
Attorneys for the defendants argue that the charges constitute a violation of their clients’ rights to free speech, including the right of their clients to challenge the legitimacy of the results of the 2020 election.
While charges vary from defendant to defendant, each person arraigned faces a charge of violating the RICO Act, a type of bill traditionally used to go after mobsters, gang leaders, cartel bosses, and other major criminal enterprises. A conviction on the charge could carry a sentence of five to 20 years in prison under Georgia law.
President Trump is facing additional charges in three other cases: a case in Manhattan related to hush money that he allegedly paid adult performer Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair, another related to his alleged retention of classified documents, and a third related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which alleges that President Trump sought to overturn the 2020 election using illegal means.
In these preceding cases, he was afforded the right to avoid a mugshot photo in view of how widely photographed he is.
However, during booking, Fulton County officials required him to pose for a mug shot—a photo that President Trump has since used to sell millions in merchandise to his supporters.
President Trump’s appearance in Atlanta forced strict security measures, including the imposition of a temporary no-fly zone over the booking facility. Similar measures will likely be put in place ahead of his Sept. 6 appearance.
Support for the former president, far and away the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, has remained stable throughout his legal troubles, and the most recent indictment appears to have had no negative effect on that goal.
