On the day former President Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted in the Fulton County investigation into possible 2020 election interference, the county’s motion to get attorney fees in a 2022 election challenge lawsuit was denied.

The suit was filed by Garland Favorito, owner of VoterGA, an advocacy group/website that supports Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that voter fraud led him to lose the election, and Phil Chen, a candidate who lost the District 7 Fulton Board of Education seat race by a narrow margin. The defendants were the county, its board of registrations and elections and Michelle Morancie, Chen’s opponent.

Judge David T. Emerson presides over a motions hearing to have the defense counsel removed from the DeKelvin Martin case in Fulton County Superior Court. Photo: Alison Church/Daily Report. 1/13/2006. Fulton County Superior Court Judge David Emerson. (Photo: Alison Church/ALM)