Court Pauses Georgia Election Case Against Trump, Likely Until After The 2024 Election
A Georgia appellate court on Wednesday halted the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies — during an appeal of a decision that allowed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to stay on the case.
The Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia released a brief order staying the “underlying proceedings.” A tentative hearing date has been set for October 4, which combined with the pause all but assures a trial would not start before the November election.
Judge Scott McAfee determined in March the defendants failed to prove a conflict of interest existed due to a romance between Willis and her special prosecutor in the case, Nathan Wade. However, the judge raised concerns about the “appearance of impropriety” and only allowed Willis to press forward after Wade resigned. Her other option was to step down.
Trump and some of his co-defendants moved to appeal, arguing Willis should be disqualified and that the case should be dismissed. They claimed the romance flush with gifts and trips “created an appearance of impropriety in this case that cast a pall over these entire proceedings.” Willis then filed a motion insisting there was “no basis” to grant a review of the lower-court order.
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday the appeals court, which agreed to hear the challenge a month ago, has until mid-March to issue a ruling and then the losing side would be able to seek relief from the Georgia Supreme Court. A trial date had not yet been set in the racketeering case, but CNN noted that Willis had hoped to have it before the 2024 election.
Trump and 18 co-defendants pleaded not guilty to a bevy of charges in the Georgia case. Four have since taken plea deals. Toward the end of last month, Willis appealed McAfee’s decision to dismiss six of 41 counts lodged at Trump and his co-defendants. The judge had opined the “lack of detail concerning an essential legal element” in the dismissed charges was “fatal.”
As Trump seeks a second White House term, the former president has broadly denied wrongdoing across multiple cases. A judge delayed a federal classified documents case trial indefinitely. The Supreme Court is considering an immunity question in a federal election case. Only one, an election-related “hush money” case in New York, has gone to trial. A jury found Trump guilty on all counts last week. Trump has vowed to appeal the decision.
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Willis is seeking re-election herself this year. She won the Democratic primary last month by a wide margin, after which Wade showed up at the victory celebration that night. “Well consider me shook. At DA Willis’ campaign party in Buckhead and Nathan Wade just walked in. All smiles,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Tamar Hallerman posted to X with a photo.
