A Georgia judge on Wednesday dismissed a racketeering case against U.S. President Donald Trump over his alleged effort to sway the 2020 election.
The development comes after the prosecutor who took over the case recently said he would not prosecute.
Prosecutor Pete Skandalakis, who is executive director of the Georgia Board of State Attorneys, took over the case in September from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Willis was previously removed for “the appearance of inappropriate behavior” after revealing a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had chosen to lead the case, according to an Associated Press report.
When Skandalakis filed his motions, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued an order dismissing the case entirely.
“There is no realistic prospect that a sitting president will be compelled to appear in Georgia to stand trial on the charges in this indictment,” Skandalakis wrote, according to Politico.
“Donald J. Trump’s current term as President of the United States of America will not expire until January 20, 2029; eight years will pass by then,” he added.
Trump avoids legal prosecution thanks to 2nd term
This abandonment of the case in Georgia is a reflection of how the US president has been able to avoid the legal consequences that once plagued the future of his political career and personal freedom.
Trump himself recently pardoned a number of his associates, including Rudy Giuliani, who was accused of trying to sway the results of the 2020 US presidential election.
Charges against Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election as well as hoarding sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion were also dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. At the time, former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith cited the Justice Department’s longstanding policy against indicting a sitting president.
Trump’s former personal attorney Giuliani, as well as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, were also defendants in the Georgia case.
Trump’s top lawyer in Georgia, Steve Sadow, welcomed the development. He said, “President Trump’s political persecution of disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor ended this law,” according to the AP.
“The strongest and most compelling case against those seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent those votes from being certified was the one investigated and prosecuted by Special Counsel Jack Smith,” Skandalakis wrote in his court filing Wednesday, according to the AP.
