US President-elect Donald Trump has requested that a Georgia Appeals Court dismiss the criminal case against him related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
According to Reuters, Trump's legal team contends that the ongoing prosecution by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has also indicted several of Trump's associates, infringes upon the U.S. Constitution as he prepares for his return to the presidency next month.
They have urged the appeals court to remove Trump from the case and to instruct a lower court judge to completely dismiss the charges against him.
A representative for Willis did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment.
Federal prosecutors have previously dropped two criminal cases against Trump, adhering to a Justice Department policy that prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
The sentencing related to charges in New York concerning hush money payments to an adult film actress has been indefinitely postponed following Trump's electoral victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's legal team has renewed efforts to dismiss that case as well.
In Georgia, Trump and 14 others are facing racketeering and additional charges for allegedly orchestrating a criminal conspiracy to overturn his narrow loss in the state during the 2020 election.
Trump has entered a plea of not guilty and maintains that the case, along with others he is confronting, is a politically motivated effort to undermine his campaign.
While Trump, as president, lacks the authority to terminate the Georgia case, his attorneys argue that continuing the prosecution would hinder his capacity to govern effectively.
Trump and eight of his co-defendants have requested that the appeals court disqualify Willis from the case, claiming that a prior romantic relationship she had with a former deputy compromised the integrity of the proceedings. The case has been on hold since June due to the ongoing appeal.
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