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Georgia Judge Dismisses Trump 2020 Election Case After New Prosecutor Moves to Drop Charges

Peter Skandalakis said the state prosecution was unworkable given federal jurisdiction questions, presidential immunity issues and years-long delays.

Overview

  • Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case shortly after Skandalakis moved to discontinue it "to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality."
  • Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over after Fani Willis was disqualified and assigned the matter to himself when other prosecutors declined.
  • In a detailed memo, he pointed to unresolved state–federal authority issues, likely immunity claims for a sitting president, access to federal records, and the impractical timeline for any trial.
  • He referenced Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 2024 withdrawal of federal charges and said trying remaining defendants without the president would be illogical and unduly burdensome.
  • The dismissal collapses the last remaining criminal prosecution tied to Trump’s 2020 election conduct, though four co-defendants in the Georgia case had previously entered plea deals.