Judge rejects effort to dismiss Trump Georgia case on First Amendment grounds [Video]

A Georgia judge on Thursday denied an effort by former President Donald Trump and 14 others to dismiss the 2020 election-related case in Fulton County, ruling that the First Amendment does not protect the defendants from prosecution.

In a 14-page order, Judge Scott McAfee rejected the argument put forth by the defendants that the charges violate the First Amendment’s protections of political speech and the right to petition Congress.

“[F]ree speech — including political speech — is not without restriction,” McAfee wrote. “These excluded categories include speech integral to criminal conduct, fraud, or speech presenting an imminent threat that the Government can prevent.”

Trump and 18 other co-defendants were indicted last year on state charges by a grand jury in Fulton County, the culmination of an investigation by District Attorney Fani Willis and her office. Prosecutors alleged the defendants worked to overturn the election results in Georgia after Trump lost …