Former President Donald Trump’s surrender and arraignment will look different in Georgia than in his previous three criminal cases.
Now that Trump and others have been indicted, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set an August 25 deadline for their voluntary surrender.
Defendants who are not immediately arrested upon indictment — as was the case for Trump and his associates — usually negotiate bond if applicable, as well as other terms of release with the district attorney’s office.
Defendants typically surrender and are processed at the Fulton County jail. It’s unclear if that will be the case for Trump, given his unique position as a former president with Secret Service protection.
Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has previously suggested he wants to treat these defendants the same as any other defendant would be treated. That means they would have mugshots taken and be fingerprinted. However, now that Trump is indicted, the sheriff will have to negotiate with Secret Service and Trump’s attorneys about the logistics of Trump’s surrender.
The initial court appearance for Trump and other defendants is expected to be set by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who has been assigned to the case, according to court papers.
It will be up to McAfee’s discretion to schedule the initial appearance, which could take place in days, weeks or months.
Several judges in the county have been allowing these appearances to occur over Zoom, so it’s possible Trump’s initial appearance could take place remotely. It’s also possible Trump could waive some of these initial steps.
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