A lawyer representing a defendant in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating case on Tuesday filed a motion for a speedy trial, meaning it’s possible a trial could be held this summer.
Benjamin Davis, who represents former APS executive director Tamara Cotman, filed the motion after Fulton County prosecutors re-indicted Cotman last Friday on charges she influenced a witness.
Davis told Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter the speedy trial demand only pertains to the witness intimidation charge, not the sweeping racketeering indictment that still stands against Cotman and 34 other APS defendants.
Baxter asked Davis if he was really ready for trial.
“We’re ready to try the case right now,” Davis said.
“Maybe we’ll have a trial run,” Baxter replied.
Baxter has set a trial date for the racketeering case for next May. But he must still decide a number of motions before scheduling Cotman’s trial in the coming months, including one filed by Fulton prosecutors that asks the judge to merge the new indictment against Cotman into the massive racketeering case.
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