A judge in Arizona will hear arguments on Monday that may determine whether several allies of former President Donald Trump could likely face prison sentences if they are convicted for participating in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.
This will be the first high-stakes hearing since a grand jury handed up criminal charges against the fake electors from Arizona and several Trump allies — including the former president’s onetime attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Christina Bobb, who currently serves as the Republican National Committee’s top lawyer on election integrity — earlier this year.
Lawyers for the Trump allies will argue that prosecutors are seeking an overly harsh punishment to coerce defendants to cooperate.
The charges: Arizona’s attorney general has charged the Trump allies with committing multiple felonies on the same occasion — a designation under state law that means a conviction would likely carry prison sentences rather than a lesser penalty afforded to first-time offenders.
The judge: Arizona Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen, who was appointed in 2005 by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, will hear arguments from both sides during Monday’s hearing and his decision will ultimately define the stakes of the case going forward.
More on the case: Prosecutors will also push back on claims that they failed to provide sufficient evidence connecting some of the defendants to an alleged conspiracy during secret grand jury proceedings.
The pivotal hearing comes just days after Trump, who has not been charged in the Arizona case but is described in court documents as “unindicted co-conspirator 1,” held a rally in the key swing state as part of his 2024 presidential campaign.
