A Georgia judge on Thursday dismissed two criminal charges in the U.S. state’s 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and another charge against allies of the former president.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee ruled that state prosecutors lacked authority to file the charges, which related to the alleged filing of false documents in federal court.
McAfee allowed the rest of the case to move forward, including eight charges against Trump.
Trump and 14 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges stemming from what prosecutors allege was a scheme to overturn Trump’s narrow loss in Georgia in the 2020 election.
The case has been on hold since June while a Georgia appeals court considers whether the lead prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, should be disqualified for alleged misconduct tied to a romantic relationship she had with a former top deputy.
Two more charges against Donald Trump dismissed in Georgia election interference case
Arguments in the appeals court are scheduled for December, meaning the case will not move forward before the Nov. 5 election, when Trump, the Republican nominee, faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
A separate federal case Trump faced over his efforts to overturn his election loss at the national level was also dramatically slowed by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
Thursday’s decision relates to allegations that Trump and his allies assembled a list of fraudulent presidential electors and filed a civil lawsuit challenging election results that contained false claims.
The ruling means that five of the original 13 criminal charges against Trump in the indictment obtained last year have now been dismissed.
In March, McAfee dismissed six other charges, including three against Trump.
Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement that the ruling shows Trump and his legal team “have prevailed once again.”
A spokesman for Willis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate decision Thursday, McAfee upheld the top charge in the case, racketeering, which has been filed against all defendants.
