Georgia Appeals Court Agrees To Reconsider Fani Willis Ruling
The Georgia Court of Appeals has agreed to reconsider a lower court’s decision allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case prosecuting Donald Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election in Georgia.
In a win for Trump and eight other co-defendants, the decision will postpone the trial there ― likely past the November presidential election.
Trump lawyer Steve Sadow celebrated the news on social media Wednesday morning.
“The GA Court of Appeals has GRANTED President Trump’s Application for Interlocutory Appeal from the trial court’s order refusing to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis!!!” he wrote on X, formerly called Twitter.
The judge overseeing the case, Scott McAfee, ruled in March that Willis could continue her work on the case despite having had a personal relationship with Nathan Wade, one of the prosecutors she’d assigned to it.
Sadow had argued that Willis and Wade’s relationship created a conflict of interest, setting up weeks of legal drama and delays as intimate details of their romance were aired in court.
But McAfee found otherwise, writing in his ruling that “the evidence demonstrated that the financial gain flowing from her relationship with Wade was not a motivating factor on the part of the District Attorney to indict and prosecute this case.”
As a condition of McAfee’s decision, however, Wade resigned from the case.
Trump appealed the ruling in late March, with Sadow arguing that not only should Willis have been disqualified, but the case itself should also be dismissed.
Despite Willis’ arguments to the contrary, the conservative-leaning appeals court today decided to consider the matter.
Wednesday’s decision is the second such delay secured by Trump in two days. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee overseeing his classified documents case in Florida, announced that she’s postponing the trial indefinitely. Trump faces 40 felonies there related to his handling of classified materials.
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 01: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 1, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. The hearing is to determine whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the case because of a relationship with Nathan Wade, special prosecutor she hired in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. (Photo by Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images) (Photo: Pool via Getty Images)