The sprawling racketeering case accusing President Donald Trump and nearly a dozen allies of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia came to an abrupt end on Wednesday.
Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, filed notice that the state would not pursue the prosecution further. Following the filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a brief order dismissing the case in its entirety.
The decision marks the final collapse of what was once considered the most sweeping legal challenge facing the former and current president. The dismissal clears not only Trump but also 14 co-defendants, a list that includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
READ: Georgia Prosecutor Steps In To Oversee Trump Election Case After Fani Willis Disqualified
Skandalakis inherited the case only last month. He stepped in after the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose disqualification stemmed from an “appearance of impropriety” involving a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed to lead the probe.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead counsel in Georgia, issued a statement celebrating the dismissal as a victory against what he termed “lawfare.”
“The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over,” Sadow said. “This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this.”
A Troubled Prosecution
The case began in August 2023, when Willis announced a 41-count indictment using Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Prosecutors alleged a broad conspiracy to subvert the will of Georgia voters after Trump’s narrow loss to Joe Biden.
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However, the legal proceedings were derailed in January 2024 when defense attorneys revealed the personal relationship between Willis and Wade. The defense argued that Willis engaged in a conflict of interest, alleging she benefited financially when Wade used his earnings from the case to pay for vacations the two took together.
In a series of evidentiary hearings that drew national attention, both prosecutors testified to intimate details of their personal lives. While Judge McAfee initially ruled Willis could remain if Wade stepped down—which he did—the Georgia Court of Appeals later overturned that decision. Citing the appearance of impropriety, the appeals court removed Willis and her office from the prosecution in December 2024.
The Decision to Drop
After the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’ appeal regarding her disqualification, the responsibility of finding a new prosecutor fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.
Skandalakis, a veteran prosecutor who has led the nonpartisan council since 2018, noted last month that he had reached out to multiple prosecutors across the state, all of whom declined to take the assignment. Facing a mid-November deadline set by the judge, Skandalakis appointed himself to oversee the file rather than letting it be dismissed by default at that time.
Upon taking control, Skandalakis received a massive trove of evidence, including 101 boxes of documents and an eight-terabyte hard drive. While he initially stated he intended to assess the evidence given the public’s interest, Wednesday’s filing signals his conclusion that the state should not move forward.
The dismissal ends the possibility of a trial that legal experts had already viewed as unlikely to proceed while Trump occupies the Oval Office.
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