In a major ruling that reshapes the legal landscape for former President Donald Trump, the Georgia Court of Appeals has scheduled oral arguments to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case for December 5, 2024, effectively pushing any potential trial in the state’s election interference case well past the November presidential election.
This is devastating news for Willis and her team — and a clear win for Trump’s legal team, that have called the charges part of Democratic Party’s “lawfare” against the Republican presidential candidate.
Trump’s team wants to disqualify Willis from the case due to her inappropriate sexual relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
In March, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee allowed Willis to remain on the case if Wade stepped down, citing “an appearance of impropriety” but not an “actual conflict of interest.”
Trump’s team has pointed out that there were significant financial exchanges between the two during their relationship, and appealed this decision to keep Willis on the case, leading to the current delay.
The three-judge panel selected to hear the appeal consists entirely of Republican appointees: Judges Trenton Brown, Todd Markle, and Benjamin Land. Under Georgia’s constitution, the panel must reach a decision by mid-March 2025, further extending the timeline of the case.
This delay effectively kills Willis’s strategy to bring Trump to trial before the 2024 election. Legal experts suggest that if Trump wins the presidency, he may be severed from his co-defendants or the case against him might be paused or even dismissed.
The Georgia case is just one of several legal challenges facing the former president that he appears set to escape.
Recent developments in other cases include:
- The dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case in Florida, where a federal judge ruled Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment unconstitutional.
- The delay in sentencing for the New York case until September 18.
- The D.C. case remains on hold following a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump's oral arguments to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis in the crumbling Georgia election interference case will be heard by the state's Court of Appeals on Dec. 5, meaning the proceedings are definitively delayed until after the presidential election. pic.twitter.com/7QUIEfDWSm
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) July 16, 2024