Judge rejects Trump free speech challenge to Georgia 2020 election case

A Georgia judge on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to dismiss criminal charges in the state's 2020 election interference case against him, which the Republican former U.S. president argued violate his free speech rights.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee found that the indictment alleges statements by Trump and 14 others charged in the case were made "in furtherance of criminal activity" and are not protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Trump and the other defendants have been charged with racketeering and other offenses over their effort to overturn Trump's defeat in Georgia to Democratic President Joe Biden. They have pleaded not guilty.

The case is one of four criminal prosecutions Trump faces as the Nov. 5 election nears. His first trial, related to hush money payments to a porn star, is due to get underway in New York later this month.