Donald Trump Delays Speedy Trial in Georgia Election Case

• Financial

Former US President Donald Trump has once again demonstrated his propensity to engage with the intricacies of the American judicial system. This time, by choosing to forgo his right to a prompt trial in Georgia regarding an election subversion case.

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, a top election official has dispelled notions that might prevent Trump from making the Republican presidential primary ballot.

No Rush in Georgia

In a recent court filing, it has been revealed that Donald Trump waived his right to a speedy trial in the Georgia election subversion case.

This move comes on the back of a brief filed by the office of the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis. Willis suggested that all 19 defendants connected to this broad racketeering case should be jointly tried starting in the upcoming month.

These legal maneuvers are consistent with the former president's strategies in other cases: delay the proceedings, possibly with hopes of pushing any fallout or repercussions until after the anticipated November 2024 elections.

New on the Fulton County docket: Trump files waiver of speedy trial rights "in exchange for the severance he previously requested in his motion to sever." pic.twitter.com/InT7Wbfsl0 — Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) September 13, 2023

New Hampshire Ballot Brouhaha

Separately, in the Granite State, which holds the privilege of kicking off the Republican presidential primaries, David Scanlan, the secretary of state, has made clear his stance on Trump's eligibility for the ballot.

Scanlan remarked that there exists no legal ground in New Hampshire to bar Donald Trump from the ballot. Addressing the press recently, Scanlan confronted lawsuits filed in his state (and others) which allude to the 14th amendment of the US constitution.

This amendment, particularly section 3, bans those who may have "engaged in an insurrection or rebellion" against the US constitution from higher office. In his words: "There is no mention in New Hampshire state statute that a candidate in a new presidential primary can be disqualified using the 14th amendment...

Similarly, there is nothing in the 14th amendment that suggests that exercising the provisions of that amendment should take place during the delegate selection process held by the different states." Moreover, Scanlan cautioned against a patchwork interpretation of the clause across states, which could spiral into "chaos, confusion, anger, and frustration." This comes after the Trump campaign penned a letter to Scanlan, backed by a cadre of Republican state lawmakers, ridiculing the very notion of keeping Trump off the ballot as "an absurd conspiracy theory."