Grand jury that could soon decide on Trump charges is seated in Georgia

Grand juries that were seated in Atlanta on Tuesday could soon decide whether to charge former President Donald Trump and his allies over their efforts to overturn his loss in Georgia’s 2020 election.

The criminal investigation into potential election interference began two-and-a-half-years earlier, shortly after a recording leaked of a phone call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the Peach State.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor who has led the probe, said she will announce her charging decisions this summer within the period starting Tuesday and ending Sept. 1. Willis further indicated that indictments could come in August: In a letter to court officials, she asked that trials and in-person hearings not be scheduled between July 31 and Aug. 18.

The two grand juries empaneled Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court will sit for a two-month term. Judge Robert McBurney presided over the selection process.

Willis could use either, or both, of the grand juries to seek charges in her criminal probe, NBC News reported. If she does, the grand jury members will have to vote to return indictments.

Each panel is made up of 23 people and three alternates. The first includes an even split of men and women, while the second comprises 14 men and 12 women, NBC reported. Each grand jury will meet twice a week throughout the term to hear numerous cases and decide whether to return a “true bill” of indictment or issue a “no bill” and drop the case.

Willis had previously presented evidence in the election probe to a special grand jury that sat for seven months and ultimately recommended charging multiple people with crimes. The…