The fourth indictment against former President Trump will likely bring challenges he hasn’t had to face in his past three.
Topline
Donald Trump has now been criminally indicted an unprecedented four times, but his most recent indictment in Georgia—which accuses him of illegally trying to overturn his election loss—could bring new challenges, as state rules will likely allow for things like a televised trial and a mugshot.Key Facts
Mugshots: Trump is expected to travel to Georgia later this month for an arraignment, and unlike in his previous three criminal arraignments, this one could result in a mugshot—Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said earlier this month if an indictment happened, Trump would be treated like any other defendant, telling local media, “It doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you.”
Mugshots often become public in Georgia, though the timeline of when and how the public could view Trump’s mugshot is not clear.
Arrival: It’s unclear how the rest of Trump’s arraignment will work, but Labat’s standard procedure is to take defendants to the main jail in Atlanta where they undergo intake, medical screening, fingerprinting, a warrant check and a mugshot—only some of which has been done in Trump’s other three arraignments.
From there, per standard protocol, Trump would be legally required to see a judge within 24 hours—unless arrested on a weekend, then it would be the following Monday—and a judge would set a bond and determine if he could be released.
Bail: Unlike in some of his other cases, Georgia has strict bail laws that only allow a court to release a person if they pose no significant risk of “intimidating witnesses or otherwise obstructing the administration of justice,” which some attorneys think Trump has already done by urging a state official not to testify to a grand jury.
That doesn’t mean Trump will end up in jail: Some outlets are reporting it’s likely Trump will be released without bail—though that decision is up to the judge—and one former Fulton County prosecutor told local TV station 11Alive it’s likely Trump is released on his own recognizance, or the guarantee he’ll return to court.
Cameras: Unlike in the federal and New York court systems, Georgia law requires cameras to be allowed in court with a judge’s approval—which is typically granted unless there is a major reason not to, such as having a minor involved—in an effort “to promote access to and understanding of court proceedings.
