Judge Issues Protective Order in Trump’s Georgia Election Interference Case
Judge Issues Protective Order in Trump’s Georgia Election Interference Case
The protective order allows prosecutors to label evidence handed over to the defense as “sensitive material,” thereby restricting its release to the public.
Nicholas Dolinger - NOV 16, 2023
Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a protective order on Wednesday in the case involving former President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference in Georgia, mandating that certain evidence classified as “sensitive” by the prosecution be kept from public access.
The decision follows the recent leak of video recordings of interviews with some of Trump’s codefendants to the media.
The protective order allows prosecutors to label evidence handed over to the defense as “sensitive material,” thereby restricting its release to the public. However, the defense has the right to contest this designation within a 14-day period. District Attorney Fani Willis sought a more expansive version of this order after the leak, citing concerns about potential harassment, witness intimidation or influencing the jury pool.
Defense attorney Jonathan Miller, representing former Coffee County election supervisor Misty Hampton, confessed to leaking the video evidence. This footage included segments from prosecutor interviews with former Trump attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell as well as pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall. All four have entered guilty pleas to charges in the case and have agreed to assist the prosecution in pursuing charges against the remaining 15 defendants.
Trump was indicted by Willis in August and has pleaded not guilty to charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. These charges include violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. The Georgia case is one of four ongoing legal battles Trump faces, with additional charges pending in New York City, Florida and Washington, D.C.