Rudy Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to Georgia charges that accuse him of trying, along with former president Donald Trump and others, to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in the US state.

In filing his not guilty plea with the court, the former New York mayor and Trump lawyer also waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing set for September 6.

Trump and Giuliani are among 19 people charged in a sprawling, 41-count indictment that details a wide-ranging conspiracy to thwart the will of Georgia’s voters who had selected Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent.

The charges against Giuliani, along with other legal woes, signal a remarkable fall for a man who was celebrated as “America’s mayor” in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

He now faces 13 charges, including violation of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, the federal version of which was one of his favourite tools as prosecutor in the 1980s.

Legal minefield

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she wants to try all 19 defendants together. But the legal wrangling has already begun in a slew of court filings since the indictment was filed August 14.

Several of those charged have filed motions to be tried alone or with a small group of other defendants, while others are trying to move their proceedings to federal court. Some are seeking to be tried quickly under a Georgia court rule that would have their trials start by early November, while others are already asking the court to extend deadlines.

Due to “the complexity, breadth, and volume of the 98-page indictment,” Giuliani asked the judge in Friday’s filing to give him at least 30 days after he receives information about witnesses and evidence from prosecutors to file motions.

Also on Friday, Georgia Govenor Brian Kemp appointed a three-person panel to consider whether Shawn Still should be suspended from his state Senate post while his prosecution is ongoing.

Still was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating their firm belief that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the “duly elected and qualified” electors.

Still was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlanta’s northern suburbs.

-AAP