Georgia judge dismisses Trump election interference case – DW – 11/26/2025

A judge in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday dismissed the long-running case that accused President Donald Trump and several allies of attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state.

The decision followed a request by prosecutor Pete Skandalakis, who argued that pursuing the case would be “counterproductive.”

What did the prosecutor say on Trump case?

Skandalakis, who replaced disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis earlier this month, wrote: “I recognize that, given the deep political divisions in our country, this decision will not be universally popular.” They argued in a 23-page filing that the matters at issue were federal in origin, not state in nature.

He cited Special Counsel Jack Smith’s decision to drop federal charges against Trump after his return to office in late 2024: “If Special Counsel Jack Smith, with all the resources of the federal government at his disposal… concludes that prosecution would be futile, then I also think that, despite the available evidence, pursuing prosecution… would be equally unproductive.”

Judge Scott McAfee quickly granted the motion to dismiss the proceedings. The verdict effectively ends one of four criminal trials involving Trump. Only one – a New York hush money case involving payments to a porn star during the 2016 campaign – proceeded to trial, resulting in a conviction that Trump is now seeking to overturn.

What were the allegations against Trump in the Georgia case?

Trump and 18 codefendants were charged in Georgia in 2023 under the fraud statute and other laws, accusing them of pressuring officials to “find” votes, targeting election workers and attempting to assemble slates of false voters. Four defendants later pleaded guilty to lesser crimes.

The prosecution was already weakened by Willis’ disqualification in December, when a Georgia appeals court cited the “impropriety” of her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she appointed. Scandalakis also noted the near impossibility of prosecuting a sitting president at the state level and said a trial would be unmanageable without Trump’s presence.

Trump has issued pardons for several associates accused of attempting to subvert the 2020 election, but those actions apply only to federal crimes, not state-level charges, such as those originally brought in Georgia.

Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez