Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has formally dismissed the Georgia 2020 election interference case against President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants after Prosecutor Peter Skandalakis announced he would not pursue the charges. Skandalakis, who took over the case earlier this month following the disqualification of District Attorney Fani Willis, argued that continuing would take five to ten years, depriving defendants of a speedy trial and creating unprecedented complications in prosecuting a sitting president. His 22-page memo emphasized that the case was “without precedent,” noting that Trump’s current term runs until 2029, making it unrealistic to compel him to stand trial in Georgia during that time.
The dismissal effectively ends one of the most high-profile state-level prosecutions tied to the 2020 election, which had accused Trump and his allies—including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows—of attempting to overturn Georgia’s results through a racketeering scheme. While four co-defendants had already taken plea deals, Trump and others maintained not guilty pleas. Skandalakis stressed that severing Trump’s case from the others would be unfair, and suggested the federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith had been the more appropriate venue. The decision underscores the challenges of holding a sitting president legally accountable at the state level and leaves unresolved broader questions about presidential immunity and election integrity.