In a stunning conclusion to one of the most high-profile legal battles ever to grip Fulton County, a state prosecutor has formally dismissed the racketeering charges against former President Donald Trump and his allies for their alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.
The decision, announced Wednesday, marks the end of a saga that began in Atlanta’s courthouses and jails, drawing national attention while straining local resources and spotlighting the city’s role at the heart of American democracy.
The case, which centered on Trump’s infamous January 2020 phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to secure the state’s electoral votes, was spearheaded by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Filed on August 14, 2023, the sweeping indictment accused Trump and 18 co-defendants—including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorney Rudy Giuliani—of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to unlawfully alter the election outcome in the Peach State.
End of Trump Case Concludes 2020 Election Legal Saga
For Atlantans, the case became a symbol of the city’s pivotal place in national politics.
Trump himself surrendered at the Fulton County Jail in downtown Atlanta in August 2023, enduring a brief but historic booking process that produced the first-ever mug shot of a U.S. president.
The image, snapped in the very facility that houses thousands of local inmates, went viral and underscored the gritty, real-world implications of federal-level drama playing out in Atlanta’s justice system.
The downfall of the prosecution traces back to turmoil within Willis’s office.
In early 2024, a motion filed by co-defendant Michael Roman exposed Willis’s romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to lead the investigation.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March 2024 that Willis could remain on the case only if Wade resigned—a move he made shortly after.
But the controversy escalated, with a Georgia appeals court disqualifying Willis entirely in December 2024 over the relationship and questions about her prosecutorial conduct.
The Georgia Supreme Court declined to intervene in September, leaving the case in limbo.
Enter Peter Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, who stepped in as the interim overseer.
In a detailed order released Wednesday, Skandalakis cited a litany of insurmountable hurdles—including constitutional challenges, presidential immunity claims, jurisdictional disputes, and the sheer timeline of a potential trial stretching into 2029 or beyond—as reasons to pull the plug.
“Given the complexity of the legal issues at hand… bringing this case before a jury in 2029, 2030, or even 2031 would be nothing short of a remarkable feat,” Skandalakis wrote.
He emphasized that continuing would impose “undue burden and cost” on the state and specifically on Fulton County taxpayers, whose courts and staff have been tied up in the proceedings for years.
Skandalakis, a former elected official who has run as both a Democrat and Republican, framed his decision as apolitical.
“As a former elected official… this decision is not guided by a desire to advance an agenda but is based on my beliefs and understanding of the law,” he stated. He likened the case to a patient on “life support,” opting against prolonging what he called an unviable path forward. Four defendants, including three attorneys tied to Trump’s post-election efforts, had already pleaded guilty to lesser felony charges in plea deals, but the core RICO allegations against Trump and the remaining co-defendants now evaporate without a trial.
Trump’s lead defense attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, hailed the outcome as a victory over “lawfare.”
“This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this political persecution,” Sadow said in a statement.
The dismissal also aligns with the earlier dropping of federal election interference and classified documents cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, leaving Trump free of criminal accountability for his 2020 election challenges.
Locally, the news reverberates through Atlanta’s legal and political circles. Willis, a Democrat elected in 2020 on a promise to tackle high-profile corruption, saw her career trajectory altered by the scandal.
Her removal from the case has fueled debates about prosecutorial ethics and the pressures on Atlanta’s district attorneys, who often juggle national headlines with everyday local crime.
Community advocates worry about the precedent: Does this embolden future election meddling in a battleground state like Georgia, where Atlanta’s diverse electorate played a decisive role in Biden’s narrow 2020 victory?
Fulton County officials have yet to comment on potential resource reallocations, but the end of the case frees up courtrooms and personnel long dedicated to what was once touted as the strongest state-level threat to Trump’s return to power.
As Trump prepares for his second term, Atlantans are left reflecting on a chapter that put their city on the map—and in the mug shot books—forever.
This story will be updated as reactions pour in from local leaders and the Fulton County community.