Sidney Powell, a former Trump attorney charged alongside the former president in the Georgia election interference case, has filed a motion for a speedy trial.
Powell’s request makes her the second of the 19 charged in the case to do so.
Sidney Powell, a former Trump attorney charged alongside the former president in the Georgia election interference case, has filed a motion for a speedy trial.
Powell’s request makes her the second of the 19 charged in the case to do so.
The significance is that if they ask for a speedy trial in Fulton County, the court is obligated to give it to them within the current 2 month court cycle or the next, and if they can’t go to trial in that time, the case is dropped and they go free.
Nobody really wants to go to trial that fast, not only because it’s hard to prepare the case that quickly, but it also limits the amount of pre-trial motions they can do.
It seems likely they were hoping Fani Willis couldn’t go to trial that fast and they could just walk free, but Willis was like “I’m cool with that. I can do this shit tomorrow if you want” and now they’ll get their speedy trial, which means their defense will be rushed and a little hamstrung.
These people aren’t smart.
I wonder if it’s a ploy to pressure trump. A few have indicated they expected their legal bills to be paid. If their trial can proceed quickly, there is less valid reason to delay his trial. If he offered to pay their legal costs, it might all slow down as they waive their speedy trial.
Also, if they are found guilty and the case is similar to trump, or the details are damaging to him, it also damages his election chances. So, they may not be as stupid as they seem. However, if the speedy trial is asked for, perhaps it won’t be taken away if they can argue justice is better served to continue with the speedy trial. I doubt it would though. Usually fair is the most important.
Thanks for the explanation. Also helps clarify why it’s taken so long for trials to begin - if every defendant can demand “trial within a few months or it’s free”, of course you’d spend years gathering evidence and perfecting your case beforehand, if you felt you could.