Georgia’s long-running election-interference case against President Donald Trump has come to an abrupt end after the newly appointed prosecutor, Peter J. Skandalakis, asked the court to halt the proceedings. In a motion filed Wednesday, Skandalakis said he intended to discontinue the prosecution, citing the need “to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality.”

Skandalakis assumed control of the case less than two weeks ago, stepping in after the disqualification of former Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Her removal, tied to concerns over a personal relationship with a special prosecutor she had hired, derailed the case for months and left state authorities scrambling to find someone willing to take it over. According to state officials, multiple prosecutors turned down the assignment before Skandalakis agreed to review the enormous investigative record, reportedly comprising more than one hundred boxes and several terabytes of digital evidence.

In his filing, he stated: “After a thorough examination of the case file, consideration of applicable statutory and case law, and prior to submission to a jury, the State [of Georgia] hereby moves for entry of a Nolle Prosequi…”. He also noted privately to reporters that the practical obstacles of prosecuting a sitting president, including the near impossibility of compelling his attendance at trial, contributed to his determination that the case could not meaningfully proceed.

Judge Scott McAfee approved the request later the same day, formally shutting down the prosecution and bringing an end to the last remaining state-level criminal case against Trump.

Charges Dismissed

The now-dismissed indictment, issued in August 2023, accused Trump and 18 others of engaging in a coordinated effort to subvert Georgia’s 2020 election results, which he narrowly lost to Joe Biden. Trump was arrested and booked at the Fulton County Jail on August 24, 2023, before being released on bond. Several co-defendants had pleaded guilty in earlier phases of the case, though those pleas remain on the record despite the broader dismissal.

The decision represents a dramatic reversal for what had once been considered one of the most consequential legal challenges facing the former president. The collapse of the prosecution, following internal turmoil, prosecutorial withdrawals, and the removal of the original district attorney, effectively ends Georgia’s bid to hold Trump criminally accountable for his efforts to contest the 2020 vote.

Read more: Trump pardons Giuliani, allies in 2020 election interference case