Georgia’s prosecuting district attorney on Wednesday dropped the closely watched case against US President Donald Trump and co-defendants for interference in the 2020 election, stating he made the decision “to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality.”

In a motion of nolle prosequi, District Attorney Pro Tempore Peter J. Skandalakis cited the legal complexity of the case, “ranging from constitutional questions and the Supremacy Clause to immunity, jurisdiction, venue, speedy-trial concerns, and access to federal records.” He stated that these issues would make the case challenging to bring before a jury even by 2031, and that “the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years.” He emphasized that challenging election results is not inherently illegal but said that he doubted the alleged acts would be sufficient to sustain a case under the  Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which criminalizes racketeering activity, including participating in a conspiracy.

Skandalakis further stated that pursuing a prosecution in Georgia would be no more productive than Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal investigation, which Smith concluded upon Trump’s election in 2024. He also cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States, which found that a president is “entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.” He lastly acknowledged potential controversy, justifying his decision on the basis of “the evidence, the law, and the principles of justice.”

An investigation into whether President Trump tried to influence the outcome of the election in Georgia was launched by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in February 2021. President Trump was indicted by a Fulton County Grand Jury in August 2023 on 41 counts. Willis was later removed from the case by an appeals court due to an undisclosed relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

President Trump posted on Truth Social that “LAW and JUSTICE have prevailed,” and described the case as an “Illegal, Unconstitutional, and unAmerican Hoax.”

This dismissal of this case decisively ends efforts to prosecute President Trump for election interference across the country.