The 19 defendants are required to surrender by noon on Friday.
Topline
Former President Donald Trump and the 18 allies who were indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, for trying to overturn the 2020 election are required to surrender to authorities by Friday at the latest—and while no defendants have yet said they won’t make that deadline, they still would face prosecution even if they don’t.Key Facts
Trump and his co-defendants—including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell—have been given until Friday, August 25 to voluntarily surrender to authorities, where they’re expected to be processed and then released on bond pending trial.
The grand jury has already issued arrest warrants for all the defendants, District Attorney Fani Willis said last week, so if they don’t turn themselves over voluntarily, they would then be forcibly arrested by law enforcement.
It would also make it more likely that defendants could be held in custody rather than let out on bond, because one of the requirements for being released on bail is not being deemed a flight risk—which someone who tried to evade being arrested could be.
If a defendant doesn’t surrender themselves and they’re outside of Georgia, they could be extradited from another state, which requires prosecutors to submit an application to Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who would issue the demand for the defendant to be extradited.
Under the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, which has been adopted by most states, it’s up to the governor in the state where the defendant is to have them extradited to Georgia—meaning in some states it could fall to a GOP governor like Florida Gov.
