The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump filed a written not-guilty waiver on Aug. 31, 2023 in the Fulton County election-interference case and asked the court to sever his case from some co-defendants. The filing let him avoid an in-person arraignment that had been set for Sept. 6, but it did not itself resolve whether his case would be separated or change the indictment against him. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/25a0d9cffd038eb88b805525c85ed0c5))

The request added another procedural layer to a case that already includes Trump and multiple co-defendants charged in connection with efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election result. The court filing put Trump on the same criminal track as the others while also asking the judge to treat his case differently for trial management. That is a scheduling question, not a ruling on the merits. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/25a0d9cffd038eb88b805525c85ed0c5))

The severance issue matters because defendants in the case were not all moving on the same timetable. A separate filing from the Fulton County docket shows the dispute over severance was already active, with lawyers arguing over how the court should handle defendants who wanted a speedy trial versus those who did not. The Aug. 31 waiver did not settle that fight. ([fultonclerk.org](https://www.fultonclerk.org/DocumentCenter/View/2146/RESPONSE-08-31-2023-111042-39231268-8192813A-C4E3-4ABE-AF0D-01859CF730E7))

Trump remained under indictment after the filing, and the case stayed on the court’s calendar. The practical effect of the waiver was narrow: it spared him from appearing for arraignment. The broader fight over how the case should proceed was still in the judge’s hands. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/25a0d9cffd038eb88b805525c85ed0c5))