According to Messenger, John Eastman, a co-defendant of former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election-racketeering case, is requesting a faster pre-trial schedule than the one proposed by prosecutors. In a recent court filing, Eastman expressed opposition to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ scheduling motion, which suggested a final plea date of June 21, 2024, and a trial start date of August 5, 2024.
Eastman’s objection, presented in a three-page filing, characterized the proposed schedule as “arbitrary and capricious.” The filing emphasized the need to establish an earlier final plea date in 2024, allowing defendants without lifetime United States Secret Service protection and those not running for office to exercise their right to a jury trial and complete proceedings within the same year.
Willis, in her trial schedule motion, asserted that prosecutors would not entertain plea deals after the final plea date, and her office intended to recommend maximum sentences at any remaining sentencing hearings.
Eastman’s attorney, Wilmer Parker, argued in the filing that setting an earlier final plea date in 2024 and dividing the defendants into two groups could facilitate the completion of two trials, each involving eight or fewer defendants. Parker noted that without former President Trump in the courtroom, the U.S. Secret Service would not be involved in providing enhanced security, potentially expediting the trial process.
Trump attorney Steven Sadow also filed an opposition to Willis’ proposed trial schedule, seeking the opportunity to present oral arguments. Eastman, according to Parker’s filing, is also requesting a hearing on the topic.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, presiding over the case, must approve Willis’ proposed trial schedule for it to become official. Trump and Eastman are among the 19 original co-defendants indicted in Willis’ election-racketeering case. Four defendants have pleaded guilty as part of agreements with prosecutors. Chesebro and Powell, prior to their plea deals, separated their cases and expedited proceedings through Georgia’s Speedy Trial Act. Both entered plea deals shortly before the expected start date of their trial. Trump and Eastman have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Additionally, Eastman faces ongoing disbarment proceedings in California related to his role advising Trump after the 2020 presidential election.
