Lead
The sprawling state racketeering prosecution tied to Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 result in Georgia will move forward under a new prosecutor after Fulton County’s elected district attorney, Fani Willis, was disqualified. The case file was formally assigned in September to Peter Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia, who said he could not find another conflict-free prosecutor to take the matter. The indictment — filed Aug. 14, 2023 — names President Trump and 18 co-defendants in a RICO-style conspiracy alleging efforts to change Georgia’s 2020 outcome.
Key takeaways
- The state racketeering indictment was filed Aug. 14, 2023, charging Trump and 18 co-defendants under Georgia’s RICO statute.
- Peter Skandalakis was assigned to the matter in September and on Nov. 14, 2025 filed an administrative order formally taking the case after others declined.
- Willis’ removal followed motions tied to her relationship with a special prosecutor and a sequence of rulings culminating in the Georgia Supreme Court’s September decision not to hear her appeal.
- The investigative record transferred to Skandalakis includes 101 banker boxes and an 8-terabyte hard drive, according to his office.
- Four defendants pleaded guilty under deals; prosecutors named 30 unindicted co-conspirators in the indictment.
- Defense lawyers, including lead Georgia counsel Steve Sadow, call the prosecution politically motivated and seek dismissal.
- The case had been paused in June 2024 while appellate courts reviewed alleged prosecutorial misconduct; its path to trial remains uncertain.
Background
The Fulton County investigation began in early 2021 after a recording of a Jan. 2021 phone call in which then-President Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes became public. That call crystallized a local probe into whether Trump and allies engaged in a coordinated effort to alter Georgia’s certified results following the 2020 election.
On Aug. 14, 2023, District Attorney Fani Willis filed a sweeping indictment under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, alleging an enterprise-level conspiracy. The state RICO charge mirrored the structure of federal RICO laws historically used against organized crime and marked one of the most consequential state actions against a sitting or former president.
Willis’ investigation produced a large documentary record and multiple witnesses; it also produced headlines and political backlash, with defense teams characterizing the probe as partisan and prosecutors defending its legal grounding. Over time the case attracted multiple parallel federal and state actions involving some of the same individuals.
Main event
Following months of litigation over Willis’ conduct and hiring choices, Michael Roman — a former Trump campaign aide — filed a motion in early 2024 that prompted scrutiny of Willis’ relationship with the special prosecutor she retained, Nathan Wade. Defense attorneys argued the relationship created a financial conflict tied to Wade’s payments and vacations.
In March 2024, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee found insufficient proof that Willis financially benefited from the Wade relationship and allowed her to continue if Wade left the case; Wade subsequently resigned. Despite that ruling, appellate review continued, and proceedings were suspended in June 2024 while courts considered alleged misconduct.
In December 2024 a Georgia appeals court disqualified Willis from the prosecution, and in September 2025 the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal, leaving her removed. With no consensus conflict prosecutor available, the matter was assigned to Peter Skandalakis in September; he filed an administrative appointment in Fulton County on Nov. 14, 2025, saying he had not been able to recruit another prosecutor without conflicts.
Skandalakis also said he might personally handle the matter if necessary; at the time of his appointment he indicated the investigative record had been delivered — 101 banker boxes and an 8-terabyte drive — though Willis’ office declined to comment about the transfer.
Analysis & implications
The reassignment to a career prosecutor does not guarantee the case will reach trial. Procedural hurdles — including previous pauses and pending pretrial hearings — mean the new custodian must first address unresolved motions, evidentiary disputes and the logistical work of evaluating a massive evidence trove. Any decision to proceed will require renewed assessment of witness availability, grand jury records and the legal sufficiency of the RICO allegations under state law.
Politically, the case remains sensitive: it involves a former president, high-profile aides such as Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani, and allegations that cut directly into domestic debates about election integrity. A state prosecution has particular salience because state convictions cannot be undone by a presidential pardon, a dynamic that has made this Georgia matter one of the most consequential criminal risks facing Trump.
For prosecutors, the central legal question is whether the Georgia RICO framework can lawfully encompass the alleged conduct — a statutory interpretation issue courts will parse if the case moves forward. For defense teams, procedural vacuums created by Willis’ removal offer additional avenues to press for dismissal or narrowing of charges.
Internationally and domestically, the case’s trajectory could affect election-law enforcement norms: a conviction would signal robust state capacity to address coordinated interference, while dismissal or prolonged delay would underscore the challenges of prosecuting politically charged, multi-defendant conspiracies.
Comparison & data
| Date | Key event |
|---|---|
| Aug. 14, 2023 | Willis files state RICO indictment against Trump and 18 co-defendants |
| Aug. 2023 | Trump surrenders in Atlanta jail and receives mug shot |
| Mar. 2024 | Judge McAfee allows Willis to continue if special prosecutor steps down |
| June 2024 | Proceedings paused pending appellate review |
| Dec. 2024 | Appeals court disqualifies Willis |
| Sept. 2025 | Georgia Supreme Court declines Willis’ appeal; assignment to Skandalakis in September |
The table highlights the slow, litigation-heavy progression from indictment to reassignment. The prosecution’s evidence volume — 101 banker boxes and an 8-terabyte drive — is notable compared with many state criminal matters and will shape review timelines and discovery disputes. Practically, the new prosecutor faces both an administrative task of cataloguing materials and the legal task of deciding whether the evidence supports renewed criminal prosecution.
Reactions & quotes
Legal and political actors responded quickly after Skandalakis’ filing, framing the change in starkly different terms.
“The filing of this appointment reflects my inability to secure another conflict prosecutor to assume responsibility for this case.”
Peter Skandalakis, Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia
Defense counsel reiterated calls for dismissal and framed the reassignment as validation of their objections to Willis’ conduct.
“This politically charged prosecution has to come to an end. We remain confident that a fair and impartial review will lead to a dismissal of the case against President Trump.”
Steve Sadow, Lead Georgia defense attorney for Donald Trump
Observers in legal circles noted that Skandalakis’ role is largely caretaker at this stage, tasked with stabilizing the record and evaluating whether a conflict-free path to trial exists.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Peter Skandalakis will ultimately prosecute the case himself remains unclear; he previously said he could if no other conflict-free prosecutor accepted appointment.
- The specific reasons other contacted prosecutors declined the assignment have not been publicly disclosed and remain private per Skandalakis’ statement.
- It is unconfirmed whether and when the office will announce a timetable for pretrial proceedings, trials or renewed motions practice.
Bottom line
The reassignment does not resolve the core legal or factual disputes in the Georgia case: it returns a massive evidentiary record to judicial scrutiny under a new custodian but leaves open whether the indictment will proceed to trial. Procedural complexity, the volume of material and remaining pretrial litigation mean any path forward will be time-consuming and legally contested.
For voters, lawmakers and courts, the case remains a touchstone in debates over how criminal law intersects with political conduct. Watch for dispositive pretrial rulings, any consolidation of motions from remaining defendants, and public scheduling steps from Skandalakis’ office as the best near-term indicators of whether a trial will occur.