Georgia Judge Won't Seal Dockets in Trump RICO Case

A Georgia judge presiding over the state's RICO case against former President rump and other codefendants says the public interest in the case outweighs privacy concerns for the defendants, and has decided not to seal the criminal dockets Scripps News reports. Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee said attorneys Sidney Powell and Ken Chesebro, along with Jenna Ellis and bail bondsman Scott Hall would not have their privacy concerns accepted as a deciding factor to determine if the court would seal their dockets, even if they are first-time offenders under Georgia’s First Offender Act, and regardless of whether they pleaded guilty to lesser charges. McAfee said on Tuesday, "Recognizing the considerable and reasonable public interest in this case, the court does not find that the harm otherwise resulting to the privacy of the defendants outweighs the public interest in the criminal history record information and docket being publicly available." 

McAfee wrote, "Upon successful completion and discharge of their sentences, the defendants remain able to renew their sealing request."  Ellis, who is considered to be a prominent figure in conservative media, pleaded guilty to a felony charge in late October, connected to accusations that she was involved in efforts to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia as Trump fought to stay in the White House. Ellis told the judge she reflects back on that period with "deep remorse." Prosecutors say Ellis authored legal documents that outlined strategies to disrupt how electoral votes were counted.  Chesebro is accused of being part of a small group of advisers in the scheme that pushed GOP lawmakers in battleground states to submit fake electors to falsely push the narrative that Trump was the winner of the election, and not Joe Biden.