Georgia judge rejects Trump bid to dismiss election interference charges on free speech grounds

A Georgia judge on Thursday denied a bid by former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the state election interference to dismiss the charges on First Amendment grounds. In a 14-page ruling, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said their right to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election did not protect them from the charges that District Attorney Fani Willis's office brought. The "Court finds these vital constitutional protections do not reach the actions and statements alleged by the State," McAfee wrote, and their motions to...