Trump's Fani Willis Case Handed New Court Date
Left: Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on May 31, 2024, in New York City. Right: 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.
Donald Trump's appeal of a judge's order declining to disqualify Fani Willis from his Georgia election interference case now has a tentative docket date for October.
Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, indicted Trump and several other co-defendants for charges relating to the 2020 presidential election results in the state and violations of the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has pleaded not guilty and some of his co-defendants have sought to have Willis disqualified from the case over a relationship she had with Nathan Wade, an attorney that was appointed as a special prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.
Judge Scott McAfee allowed Willis to remain on Trump's case as long as Wade stepped down. However, last month, the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to hear Trump's appeal of the disqualification ruling.
Now, the court will weigh the appeal just one month before Trump's rematch with Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. The date for oral arguments on the issue is tentatively scheduled for October 4, which makes it almost certain that Trump will not see a trial in his Georgia election interference case before the November 5 election.
According to reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, judges Todd Markle, Trenton Brown and Benjamin Land were randomly selected by computer to hear the appeal.
Since indicting Trump, Willis has faced criticism from many Republicans. The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee threatened to hold Willis in contempt of Congress if she did not comply with a subpoena and provide documents relating to her use of federal funds.
Meanwhile, on May 21, Willis won the Democratic primary in Georgia for her District Attorney seat, which she has held since 2020. She won with a higher percentage of the votes than in any of her previous primary races.
Update: 6/3/2024, 4:15 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with additional information.
This is a developing news story that will be updated with additional information.
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