FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A court motions hearing was held in Fulton County on Wednesday for Republican state Senator Shawn Still.
Still was named among the co-defendants indicted with former President Donald Trump last August in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' 2020 election investigation. They were accused of trying to overturn Trump's presidential loss in Georgia in 2020. Several people have taken plea deals in the case.
In December 2020, Still was among 16 Georgia Republicans who signed Electoral College documents falsely claiming that Trump won the election. At the time, the electors' group was led by then-GOP chair David Shafer and Still served as secretary.
Still faces seven charges, including violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations) Act and forgery in the first degree.
On Wednesday, Still's attorney, Tom Bever, with Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP, appeared on his behalf for the hearing, in which Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee presided over.
At the hearing, Bever argued for the dismissal of several of Smith's criminal charges.
"My view, obviously, I'm his lawyer, is that Shawn Still should never have been charged in this case," Bever said.
Both Bever's and the attorneys representing the state's arguments centered on what it means to be an elector and whether being an elector is considered a public officer.
Attorneys representing the state used Merriam-Webster's definition of an elector as "a person who has been legally elected or appointed to office and who exercises governmental functions."
Meanwhile, Bever argued that the definition was too literal and needed context in this case.
At the end of the hearing, Judge McAfee granted Bever and the state's attorneys two weeks to submit their post-hearing briefings to clarify any points made in their cases and adjourned court for the day.
Still previously filed six motions before his pretrial filing deadline back in April, including several challenging the validity of those charges.
Last September, a three-person review panel found that Still should remain in office and shouldn't be suspended.
You can re-watch Wednesday's hearing in the video below:
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