Trump Trial: Fulton DA Proposes March 4 Start Date

ATLANTA, GA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants the racketeering trial against former President Donald J. Trump and 18 co-defendants to begin on March 4, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday.

Willis is also targeting the week of Sept. 5 to have Trump and the co-defendants arraigned in Fulton County, the outlet reported. Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has been tapped to preside over the trial.

Trump and his co-defendants will be booked at the Fulton County Jail following their indictment Monday in a monumental election interference case, according to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

"At this point, based on guidance received from the district attorney’s office and presiding judge, it is expected that all 19 defendants named in the indictment will be booked at the Rice Street Jail," the sheriff's office said in a news release Tuesday.

Trump and 18 co-conspirators were accused of trying to interfere with the 2020 presidential election. A booking time and date for the defendants are unknown.

Authorities noted the booking process and arraignment/appearance process vary from one another, adding some of the defendants in this case could have a virtual court appearance or be arraigned virtually.

"Keep in mind, defendants can turn themselves in at any time. The jail is open 24/7. Also, due to the unprecedented nature of this case, some circumstances may change with little or no warning," the sheriff's office said in the release.

In anticipation of the forthcoming indictment, authorities had closed some roads surrounding the Fulton County Courthouse. Pryor Street was initially closed between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Mitchell Road, but authorities said Wednesday one lane on Pryor has reopened to traffic.

Monday was a long day for Fulton County prosecutors who gave their case to a special grand jury at the Pryor Street courthouse. Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Georgia Rep. Bee Nguyen were among multiple witnesses who gave testimonies.

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A docket sheet the Fulton County clerk initially called "fictitious" circulated social media, with Reuters reporting the document was posted on and deleted from the court clerk's website.

The clerk's office released a statement Tuesday, calling the docket sheet a "sample working document."

According to the statement, the document was pulled from the court clerk's press queue and was spread to multiple media outlets.

Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts Che' Alexander learned of the situation and removed the docket sheet. The statement said Alexander was testing the county's Odyssey system in preparation for a possible indictment, which led to the "docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet."

The document was not official because it did not contain Alexander's stamped name and was not signed as a true or no bill, the court clerk's office said.

After Trump and his co-defendants were officially indicted, Alexander made the real filing public.

"The office understands the confusion that this matter caused and the sensitivity of all court filings. We remain committed to operating with an extreme level of efficiency, accuracy and transparency," the clerk's statement read.