The newly leveled case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants accusing them of engaging in a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia has been assigned to a judge who is a lifelong Georgian.
Scott McAfee became a Fulton County Superior Court judge in February after a career in which he has worked as a prosecutor and state inspector general, where he was "responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse in the Executive Branch of state government."
When he was appointed inspector general in March 2021, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, called him a "strong addition to my administration."
"His experience as a tough prosecutor equips him to search out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, and bring those to justice who break the law," Kemp said.
Prior to his IG role, he worked as the assistant United States attorney in the Northern District of Georgia and as senior assistant district attorney in the Fulton County Atlanta Judicial Circuit. In those positions, he prosecuted cases on drug trafficking, fraud, armed robbery and murder.
According to his inspector general biography, McAfee obtained his undergraduate degree from Emory University in music, where he received a scholarship to play cello in the university's orchestra. He received his JD from the University of Georgia School of Law.
He grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, and is married with a wife and two children. In addition to his professional legal career, McAfee is a volunteer scuba diver and captain of his tennis team.
The indictment, which came down late Monday night, charges Trump with 13 counts, including a racketeering charge for allegedly attempting to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in Georgia in 2020. Trump, who is among 19 people charged in the case, has denied any wrongdoing.
