What does it mean to waive an arraignment? Trump pleads not guilty so what’s next?

Donald Trump filed a ‘not guilty’ plea for his charges in the Georgia election interference face against him.

“As evidenced by my signature below, I do hereby waive formal arraignment and enter my plea of NOT GUILTY to the Indictment in this case,” Trump said in a court filing in Fulton County Superior Court.

Because of this early plea, Trump does not need to be arraigned. This occurs early in the legal process, following an arrest and booking. During the arraignment, the defendant is brought before a court, informed of the charges against them, and asked to enter a plea.

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Many court cases do not have their information made so public. However, due to the public interest in a case as big as this, the charges against Trump and his associates were made a week ago. With the full knowledge of what was the be levied against him, there is no real point waiting for an arraignment to file a plea.

Furthermore, for the particular case of Trump it grants him time to sit for his deposition in a lawsuit against his former attorney Michael Cohen. This is set for 6 September, the same date that his arraignment was to be.

What is next for Trump in this court case?

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had proposed a 4 March, 2024 start date for the trial itself. However, Trump’s co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro asked for the trial to begin earlier. Willis accepted the date of 23 October of this year.

In response, Trump’s main attorney requested that Trump’s case be severed from that of Chesebro, citing the lack of time to create a defence. This was granted, meaning Chesebro will be tried alone. It could provide a useful litmus test for both the public and Trump’s attorneys for how the big trial may play out next year.