Mr. Floyd was charged on Aug. 14 alongside the 45th president and 17 other co-defendants with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings, and influencing witnesses.

He was the only defendant to spend time in jail due to the indictment before he was released on bond on Aug. 30.

"Your Honor, this case isn't about whether you or I think that Donald Trump lost the election. It's about what Mr. Floyd believed at the time," noted Chris Kachouroff, one of Mr. Floyd's defense attorneys, at a Nov. 3 hearing before Judge Scott McAfee.

"It's also [about] what the false statements are alleged to have been, and indeed, are they really false," he said.

Opening the Door

The judge ordered the hearing in response to motions to quash three sweeping subpoenas Mr. Floyd's legal team served to the office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Fulton County Clerk of Courts, and the Fulton County Board of Elections.

Materials the attorneys requested included the ballot images and envelopes for all absentee ballots cast in the 2020 general election, all absentee ballot application forms, reports from the Dominion voting machines used, and all laptops and poll pads used by election workers, along with other documents, files, and drives.

Attorneys also requested all documents and recordings concerning the secretary of state's post-election investigation into allegations of election fraud.

"The state chose to open this door," Mr. Kachouroff said. "It is a broad and sweeping complaint. They opened the door wide open for us to walk in and ask for these things."