ATLANTA — A Fulton County judge on Tuesday declined to toss the charges brought against Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, who are accused along with former President Donald Trump and others of criminally interfering in the 2020 election.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee rejected several motions by Chesebro and Powell, clearing the way for the trial against them to begin. Jury selection is set to start Friday as 450 potential jurors will complete questionnaires under oath at the county courthouse. Prosecutors and attorneys defending Powell and Chesebro will begin questioning potential jurors on Oct.23.
If needed, another 450 jurors will fill out questionnaires on Oct. 27. McAfee said he aims to have a jury seated and sworn in before Nov. 3 to comply with state law after Chesebro and Powell filed speedy trial requests.
Trump and others indicted in the case waived their rights to a speedy trial.
Chesebro, a Wisconsin-born attorney, faces seven charges in the case. Fulton County prosecutors allege that he worked with the leadership of the Georgia Republican Party, including then-chairman David Shafer, to have 16 Republicans meet at the Georgia State Capitol to sign Electoral College documents falsely claiming that Trump won the election. Chesebro played a major role in the Trump elector plans in Georgia and other battleground states.
Powell, a former federal prosecutor who assisted Trump following the election, faces seven counts. Her charges stem primarily from the election data breach in Coffee County, Georgia. The work was done as part of a contract between Powell and Atlanta-based data forensics firm SullivanStrickler, prosecutors allege.