Donald Trump will face yet another arraignment, this time in Fulton County, Georgia, after he was indicted on 13 charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state.
On 14 August evening, Mr Trump was charged with violating the RICO Act as well as other charges alleging conspiracy, making false statements and filing false documents related to his combined efforts with 18 other named defendants in changing election results.
The charges stem from an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into Mr Trump and his allies’ actions in the state in the days and weeks after the 2020 election.
These actions included an infamous phone call that Mr Trump made to Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, in which Mr Trump asked him to “find” 11,780 votes. It also detailed a plot to install fake state electors.
Now, Mr Trump will have to add another series of court hearings for this case, including his official arraignment, to his already packed schedule.
Here’s what we know about what’s next for Mr Trump in the Georgia indictment.
When is the arraignment?
Mr Trump’s formal arraignment date is expected to be Tuesday, 5 September.
But, unlike his previous three criminal arraignments, the ex-president will have to turn himself in to Fulton County officials earlier.
In a press conference the same night as the indictment, Ms Willis announced that arrest warrants were issued for Mr Trump and his 18 co-defendants and gave them a deadline of 25 August at noon to surrender.
Mr Trump said he plans to surrender himself in Georgia on Thursday, 24 August in a post on Truth Social.
“Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED by a Radical Left District Attorney, Fani Willis,” Mr Trump wrote on 21 August.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is directed to his vehicle after speaking at the Steer N' Stein bar at the Iowa State Fair— (Getty Images)
Will there be cameras in the courtroom?
Georgia law is unique in that it requires cameras be allowed in judicial proceedings so long as the judge approves it.
Mr Trump’s upcoming arraignment is likely to be televised, just as parts of Monday’s indictment were.
This will mark the first publicly available viewing of the ex-president’s slew of criminal indictments. The New York indictment and both federal indictments did not have cameras in the courtroom.
According to the law, Georgia believes televised proceedings promote “access to and understanding of court proceedings not only by the participants in them but also by the general public”.
In order for a judge to prevent cameras in the courtroom, they would need a compelling reason like a child victim or witness.
Will Trump receive a mugshot and fingerprints?
Like his previous arraignments, Mr Trump will be fingerprinted, as is customary with criminal charges.
In the past, the ex-president did not have a mugshot taken because he is considered a notable person therefore an identifying mugshot was unnecessary.
However, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told WSB-TV earlier this month that Mr Trump likely will pose for a mugshot because he will be treated like any other person.
“Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you,” Mr Labat said.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, speaks in the Fulton County Government Center— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Will he get bail?
Mr Trump agreed to a $200,000 consent bond order on Monday 21 August, three days before he is expected to surrender.
The bond states that Mr Trump is not allowed to communicate with witnesses or co-defendants except through his attorneys and he is barred from making any “direct or indirect threat of any nature against the community or to any property in the community” which includes his posts or reposts on social media.
The consent bond says the ex-president is required to post 10 per cent of his bond amount and is mandated to make monthly reports to Fulton County’s pre-trail supervision officials.
In all his previous arraignments, the ex-president was released on certain conditions. But this is the first indictment he has been asked to post bond.
In his most recent federal arraignment related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Mr Trump was released on an appearance bond and under strict rules.
During the ex-president’s first federal arraignment for his alleged retention of classified documents, Mr Trump signed a personal surety bond.
In April, a New York judge allowed Mr Trump to walk without bail as well.
A bond is usually set to ensure a defendant appears in court. A judge can outright deny bond which then requires the defendant to be taken into custody to await trial.
