Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty in Georgia election case, won’t attend arraignment hearing

Rudy Giuliani has entered a plea of not guilty in the case pertaining to Georgia’s election, wherein he stands accused of collaborating with former President Donald Trump and others to unlawfully overturn the outcomes of the 2020 state election. The former mayor of New York and former attorney for Trump submitted his plea to the court and concurrently waived his right to attend the upcoming arraignment hearing scheduled for September 6. In this decision, he aligns himself with the former president and over ten others who have chosen not to appear in an Atlanta courtroom brimming with spectators and media coverage.

Trump and Giuliani are among a group of 19 individuals who face a comprehensive 41-count indictment outlining a widespread conspiracy designed to subvert the electoral choice of Georgia’s citizens, who had opted for Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent. These charges against Giuliani, coupled with his other legal challenges, mark a notable decline for an individual who had been acclaimed as “America’s mayor” following the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Presently, he confronts a total of 13 charges, which encompass infractions of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. Notably, Giuliani had often utilized the federal iteration of this statute during his tenure as a prosecutor in the 1980s.

District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County has expressed her intent to pursue a joint trial for all 19 defendants. However, the legal maneuvering has already commenced, evident through a multitude of court submissions following the issuance of the indictment on August 14.

Several of the accused parties have filed petitions to seek separate trials or trials alongside a smaller subset of co-defendants. Conversely, some are striving to shift their legal proceedings to federal court. A subset of the accused individuals is seeking an expedited trial under a Georgia court rule that would necessitate commencement by early November, while others are already seeking extensions for filing deadlines.

Given the intricate, expansive, and voluminous nature of the 98-page indictment, Giuliani has petitioned the judge for an extension of at least 30 days after receiving witness and evidence information from prosecutors before filing motions. Ordinarily, pretrial motions are expected to be lodged within 10 days following the arraignment.

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• Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty in Georgia election case
• Former President Donald Trump and others charged in 41-count indictment
• District Attorney Fani Willis pursuing joint trial for defendants
• Georgia’s anti-racketeering law and its implications
• Giuliani’s role in legal cases post 9/11
• Legal maneuvering and requests for separate trials
• Expedited trial schedule under Georgia court rule
• Charges and allegations in the 98-page indictment