What are they thinking?!?
In a unanimous decision, Georgia’s highest court rejected an effort by former President Donald Trump to invalidate evidence gathered during a special grand jury investigation into potential interference with the 2020 election in the state. The court also denied Trump’s request to remove the lead prosecutor, Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis, from the case.
According to US News, the Supreme Court of Georgia, consisting of nine members, dismissed Trump’s legal team’s petition on Monday night. The justices concluded that Trump had not provided enough evidence to warrant the court’s intervention, as no “extraordinary circumstances” were evident. Furthermore, the court rejected Trump’s claim that his constitutional rights were violated by the special grand jury.
This ruling effectively puts an end to Trump’s attempt to evade potential charges stemming from the investigation even before they are formally filed.
In response to the decision, it is anticipated that District Attorney Fani Willis will seek indictments related to the investigation in the upcoming weeks. Two Fulton County grand juries were recently convened as part of standard legal proceedings and will hear evidence in various criminal cases over the next couple of months. Willis is expected to make a decision on whether to pursue charges during the term of these grand juries, likely between July 31 and August 18.
Trump’s legal team had filed a petition last Thursday seeking to prevent any regularly convened grand jury from accessing the evidence obtained during the eight-month special grand jury investigation, including the final report. Additionally, they sought to have Willis removed from the case, arguing that the special grand jury was inherently unconstitutional and that continuing the investigation would damage Trump’s reputation as he vies for his party’s nomination for the U.S. Presidency, alleging a violation of his constitutional rights.
Similar arguments had been made in an earlier petition submitted to the Fulton County Superior Court, which is yet to receive a response from the presiding judge. Trump’s lawyers used the absence of a response as the basis for their direct appeal to the state’s highest court.
However, the Georgia Supreme Court disagreed with the approach, stating that the lack of response from the lower court did not justify bypassing the normal appellate process. The opinion noted that Trump had not requested the justices to compel the lower court to rule but rather asked them to issue their own findings, a move that the court considered inappropriate without “extraordinary circumstances” being demonstrated.
In conclusion, the Georgia Supreme Court’s decision upholds the validity of the special grand jury investigation, allowing the legal process to continue as District Attorney Fani Willis proceeds with her deliberations regarding potential charges.