No Appeals Court Arguments on Fani Willis’ Involvement in Georgia Trump Case Until After Election

A December hearing has been scheduled by a Georgia appeals court to review the appeal against a lower court’s decision permitting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the election interference case against former President Donald Trump.

The Georgia Court of Appeals granted Trump’s request for oral arguments, setting them for December 5. This schedule means the lower court proceedings against Trump, currently paused, will not resume before the November general election, where Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee.

The case will be heard by a three-judge panel from the intermediate appeals court, with Judges Trenton Brown, Todd Markle, and Benjamin Land presiding. They have until mid-March to make a ruling. The decision could then be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court by the losing party.

Trump and 18 others were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury last August, accused of participating in a scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Four defendants have pleaded guilty under deals with prosecutors, while Trump and the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty.

This case is among four criminal cases against Trump, all of which have seen recent favorable developments for him. A federal judge in Florida recently dismissed a case related to Trump’s handling of classified documents, though DOJ special counsel Jack Smith plans to appeal.

Trump’s sentencing in his New York hush money trial has been delayed following a Supreme Court ruling granting former presidents broad immunity. This ruling will also delay a separate federal case in Washington, charging Trump with attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Trump and eight other defendants are seeking to have Willis and her office removed from the case, citing a conflict of interest due to Willis’ romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee previously found no conflict of interest requiring Willis’s removal but allowed for an appeal. He noted “reasonable questions” regarding the truthfulness of Willis and Wade’s testimonies about their relationship timing, maintaining Willis could stay on the case if Wade resigned, which he did shortly after.

The romance allegations between Willis and Wade created huge turmoil in the case, with personal details exposed in court proceedings in mid-February.