Alex Helmick

The 61 defendants in the sprawling case were accused of a variety of actions, including throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers, illegally camping near the facility, and damaging police vehicles and construction equipment.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer ruled Attorney General Chris Carr

did not have the authority to secure the 2023 indictments.

The long-running battle over the training center came to a head when a protester was shot and killed in 2023 by state troopers who were not prosecuted.

That sparked violent clashes that led to more arrests.

The center eventually opened in 2025.

The Georgia Attorney General's Office says it plans to appeal the ruling.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Helmick in Atlanta.

Prosecutor Pete Skandalakis took over the massive RICO case that involved 14 others earlier this month after Fulton County D.A.

Fonny Willis was removed.

In a statement, Skandalakis said he decided not to pursue the case against the president in the interest of justice.

It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he's president.

The case stemmed from Trump narrowly losing Georgia to President Joe Biden in 2020, launching a series of events, including Trump's phone call to state officials looking for 11,780 votes.

Trump's attorney said the case should never have been brought.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Helmick in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fawnie Willis originally brought the massive RICO case but was removed by a Georgia court for her personal relationship with a special prosecutor.

The prosecuting attorney's counsel of Georgia, executive director Pete Scandalakis, was ordered to appoint a new prosecutor, but each one he approached respectfully declined.

Scandalakis said that dismissal at this point was not the right course of action and has named himself to lead the case and perform what he called a comprehensive review to determine how to proceed.

In a statement, the president's lead defense counsel, Steve Sadow, calls the case a politically charged prosecution and says that a review of the facts will lead to dismissal.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Helmick in Atlanta.