Former US President Donald Trump has entered a plea of not guilty in the Georgia election fraud case, choosing not to appear in court for the upcoming hearing next week.
Among 19 individuals charged in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in the US state, Trump surrendered himself at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta last week and had his mugshot taken.
Continuing to deny any wrongdoing, Trump has consistently characterized the case as politically motivated.
Mr. Trump faces a total of 13 felony counts, including racketeering, for allegedly pressuring Georgia officials to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.
In a court filing on Thursday, Trump expressed that he "fully understands" the allegations against him and his right to be present in court.
"Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court," the signed document states.
Although Trump has appeared at all three of his previous arraignments, this time he opted not to do so, having to appear in cases in New York and Florida and choosing not to request a virtual appearance for a separate case in Washington DC.
In all three instances, heightened security was in place as both Trump supporters and counter-protesters gathered near the courthouses.
Fulton County in Georgia is unique in that it allows defendants to choose not to appear in court for arraignment in criminal cases.
Brian Tevis, an attorney representing one of Trump's co-defendants, Rudy Giuliani, stated that "99% of the time," defendants choose to waive their arraignment when given the option.
Recently, three other co-defendants in the case pleaded not guilty, including former Trump attorneys Ray Stallings Smith and Sidney Powell, as well as former celebrity publicist Trevian Kutti.
Originally scheduled for September 6, Trump's arraignment was due to be followed by the other defendants in 15-minute intervals.
All 19 defendants in the case, including Trump, are charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, commonly known as the Rico Act.
Rico laws are used across the US and on a federal level to help prosecutors establish connections between those who committed the crime and those who ordered or organized it.
Fulton County's District Attorney, Fani Willis, a Democrat, has faced criticism from some Republicans and Trump allies for indicting Trump in the case.
In August, State Senator Colton Moore sent a letter to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a fellow Republican, calling for a special session to impeach Ms. Willis.
At a recent news conference, Governor Kemp stated that he had not yet seen evidence justifying such a move and emphasized that his administration would uphold the law and the Constitution regardless of political consequences. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.