How will Trump’s NYC conviction affect his Georgia trial?
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty of 34 felony counts in New York, which has many wondering what that means for his racketeering case in Georgia.
“In most trials, you cannot bring in the prior convictions of a defendant,” said John Acevedo, a visiting associate professor at the Emory University School of Law.
MORE | Trump verdict: Reaction pours in from politicians across 2-state region
After Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes, political leaders from Georgia and South Carolina started reacting.
Just because it can’t be brought up, that doesn’t mean Trump’s guilty verdict won’t be top of mind for people involved in his Georgia indictment.
“This doesn’t prove Mr. Trump guilty of anything in Georgia, but it certainly removes his aura of invincibility and paves the way for the prosecution to convince here in Fulton County,” said Acevedo.
The former president is facing 10 counts in an alleged racketeering conspiracy in Fulton County to try to steal the 2020 presidential election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted Trump on the charges last summer.
“For potential jurors, and for Fani Willis, the door’s been opened,” said Acevedo. “A former president has been convicted. That kind of aura of invincibility has been broken. And in that sense, there’s a huge impact – a psychological impact – for both the potential jurors and for Fani Willis and her team.”
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Acevedo’s knowledge of the courtroom leads him to believe the former president’s conviction Thursday will impact Trump’s impending trial in Georgia.
“It may take a month or more to find that jury,” said Acevedo. “I think the jury process here is going to be long and drawn out, with many individuals excused.”
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