The face of the Fulton County RICO indictment of Donald Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators shows that the Judge assigned to the case is the Honorable Scott McAfee. According to his LinkedIn page and consistent with the Fulton County Superior Court website, he has been on the bench since February 2023. He is a 2013 graduate of the University of Georgia Law School, and a 2010 graduate of Emory University, majoring in Political Science and Music.
All of Judge McAfee’s professional experience appears to be as a prosecutor — an ADA in Barrow County, a Senior ADA in Fulton County, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia (where Atlanta is located), and Inspector General of the State of Georgia, appointed by Governor Brian Kemp in 2021. From a press release, it appears he was appointed to the bench by Gov. Kemp, and from his campaign website, it appears he is running for election in 2024.
I don’t practice in Georgia, and I know nothing about Judge McAfee, so what follows is just my speculation. He has a strong law-and-order background. He must be a Republican and is a favorite of Gov. Kemp, who is himself no fan of Donald Trump. Judge McAfee is running for election in a heavily Democratic County. That creates a strong incentive to conduct fair and even-handed proceedings. What worries me is that he is about 35 years old, has been a lawyer for only 10 years, and a judge for all of 7 months. He’s about to be under a nationwide microscope, just like Judges Cannon, Chutkan and Marchan. I wish him strength, fortitude, wisdom, patience and good judgment.