A judge in Maricopa County set a trial date for Jan. 5, 2026, for the state’s case against Arizona ’s "fake electors," who were involved in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
As it stands, the trial will now begin nearly five years after the alleged crimes were committed. The fake electors are allies of former President Donald Trump who were charged earlier this year for their role in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
There will be an expected 80 witnesses, and the case is expected to take eight to 12 weeks. Prosecutors were pushing to begin the case during the summer of 2025, but the defendants indicated they needed more time.
Trump was not charged in this case, but he is described in court documents as “unindicted co-conspirator 1.” While the former president has not been charged, prosecutors in the state have not ruled out indicting more people, including Trump, if sufficient evidence against them emerges, according to CNN .
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’s office scored a win in the case after former Trump 2020 campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for the charges against her being dropped. She is expected to testify against other defendants in the criminal case as part of her deal.
Loraine Pellegrino also reached a plea deal with the state, agreeing to plead guilty to the false document charge against her, and in turn, the rest of her charges were dismissed.
This case is now the only case stemming from Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the election with a court date. At the federal level, Trump has been charged for his efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s legitimate win in 2020 by special counsel Jack Smith. He has also been charged in Georgia by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for his efforts to overturn the results of the election in Georgia.
At the courtroom hearing where the trial date was set, some defendants, including attorney John Eastman and multiple Arizona Republicans who served as fake electors, were present. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and Christina Bobb, who serves as the top lawyer for the RNC on election integrity, attended the hearing virtually.
During the hearing, lawyers representing Jim Lamon, a fake Trump elector in 2020 from Arizona, Giuliani, and Eastman all argued that their indictments should be dismissed, claiming the state’s indictment did not demonstrate crimes had taken place. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen did not make a ruling on Lamon, Giuliani, and Eastman's motion to dismiss, according to the Arizona Republic .
Meanwhile, Meadows's legal team is arguing his indictment “squarely relates” to his role as Trump’s last chief of staff and, therefore, his case should be moved to federal court .
“Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se. Rather, it consists of allegations that he received (and occasionally responded to) messages from people who were trying to get ideas in front of President Trump or seeking to inform Mr. Meadows about the strategy and status of various legal efforts by the President’s campaign,” Meadows’s lawyers wrote in a federal court filing.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This is precisely the kind of state interference in a federal official’s duties that the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits, and that the removal statute shields from adjudication in a state court,” the lawyers continued.
The trial date in Meadows’s hearing to move the case is scheduled for Sept. 5.
Local Arizona State
Most Popular
Comments / 0