WASHINGTON: A Georgia judge on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to dismiss criminal charges in the state's 2020 election interference case against him, which the Republican former U.S. president argued violate his free speech rights.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee found that the indictment alleges statements by Trump and 14 others charged in the case were made "in furtherance of criminal activity" and are not protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Trump and the other defendants have been charged with racketeering and other offenses over an alleged effort to overturn Trump's defeat in Georgia to Democratic President Joe Biden. They have pleaded not guilty.