DA seeks August start date for GA election trial

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, in a court filing Friday, is requesting a start date of Aug. 5, 2024, for the trial of former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case. Willis had originally sought to have all 19 defendants in the case stand trial together last month, but Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee severed the case, calling the move "a procedural and logistical inevitability." In Friday's filing, the DA said the August date "balances potential delays from Defendant Trump's other criminal trials," as well as the other defendants' constitutional speedy-trial rights. Willis recently said in an interview that she expected the trial to last "many months" -- meaning a trial with an August start date could still be underway at the time of the 2024 presidential election. The DA also requested that the judge set a final plea date of June 21, 2024, as the final date that prosecutors would make negotiated plea deals. After that...