ATLANTA — The main road around the Fulton County courthouse is set to close to general traffic starting Monday morning, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday afternoon.
Pryor Street will close between MLK and Mitchell streets starting on August 7 at 5 a.m. and the road will remain closed through August 18. Two lanes will be open for media staging.
The courthouse and Fulton County Government Center will still be open to the public, and walking will be permitted on Pryor Street.
No public parking will be allowed anywhere on the perimeter of the courthouse on either side of the street. Vehicle traffic will be allowed on Central Avenue, MLK Jr. Drive, and Mitchell Street.
The announcement comes ahead of a planned decision by a special grand jury on whether or not to indict former President Donald Trump.
Trump is being investigated by Fulton County District Attorney over whether or not he attempted to interfere with the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
On Thursday, Trump pleaded not guilty to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss, “answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power,” The Associated Press reports.
Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.
“Of the three criminal cases he’s facing, the most recent charges are especially historic since they focus on Trump’s efforts as president to subvert the will of voters and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory,” The AP’s Michael Kunzelman, Eric Tucker, Nomaan Merchant and Lindsay Whitehurst report. “His refusal to accept defeat and his lies about widespread election fraud helped fuel the violent riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.”
The AP adds that Trump, who is now the early front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, “sat stern-faced with his hands folded, shaking his head at times as he conferred with an attorney and occasionally glancing around the courtroom as his court appearance began.” Read more here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
