In a significant court victory for former President Donald J. Trump, the Georgia Court of Appeals has agreed to hear Trump’s appeal that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis can continue leading the prosecution against him on charges related to election interference.
The major decision was announced on Wednesday by a three-judge panel and is likely to delay the Georgia criminal case against Trump and 14 of his allies, making it uncertain that the case will go to trial before the November election.
The ruling means Willis could be disqualified from the biggest case of her career, and one of the most significant state criminal cases in the nation’s history.
The appeal is based on a conflict of interest over a previously undisclosed sexual relationship Willis had with Nathan Wade, a lawyer she hired with taxpayer money to handle the prosecution of Trump.
Defense lawyers argued that the relationship amounted to an untenable conflict of interest and that Willis and her entire office should be removed from the case.
Wade was accused of billing Willis’s office more than $728,000 in legal fees while they dated, and the couple allegedly took several luxurious international vacations together that were partially bankrolled by public funds.
On March 15, Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court ruled that Willis could keep the case if Wade stepped away from it. Wade resigned a few hours after the judge issued his ruling.
The victory on Trump’s appeal could be a major blow to the entire case and push it back through the November presidential election.
Steven H. Sadow, the lead counsel for Mr. Trump in Georgia, welcomed the appeals court’s decision, stating that his client “looks forward to presenting interlocutory arguments to the Georgia Court of Appeals as to why the case should be dismissed and Fulton County D.A. Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution.”
A spokesman for Willis’s office declined to comment on the appeals court’s action.
The criminal trial charges Trump and more than a dozen of his associates with attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, which were ruled in favor of President Joe Biden.
Most attorneys now predict that the deliberations on Trump’s appeal could push the trial past November, after which Trump, should he win the 2024 presidential election, could potentially pardon himself.
Not everyone is happy about the ruling. Speaking to The New York Times, former Justice Department official Anthony Coley condemned the Georgia appeals court findings and said, “Trump & his allies will always find something, anything to delay their day in Court. Bottom line: This November, the people will decide if Trump will ever face accountability for trying to overturn the will of voters.”
As the legal proceedings continue, the ultimate timeline for the trial and its potential impact on the 2024 presidential election remain uncertain.
What is certain is that the appeals court’s decision to review Willis’s involvement in the case marks a significant victory for Trump in the ongoing legal battles heading into the 2024 presidential election.