With the decision, it places the case against Trump effectively in limbo.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Thursday was removed by a state court as prosecutor from President-elect Donald Trump’s election-related criminal case.
The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis amid allegations she engaged in improper behavior amid her relationship with her former special counsel in the case, Nathan Wade. She has since appealed the matter to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Willis’s Office Appeals Decision
With the decision, it places the case against Trump and more than a dozen other codefendants in limbo as the state will now have to find a prosecutor to oversee the matter.
Hours after the Court of Appeals’ majority rendered their decision, the Fulton County district attorney’s office notified the courts in Georgia that she would appeal Wednesday’s ruling to disqualify her.
“You are hereby notified that it is the intention of the State of Georgia, appellee, to petition the Supreme Court of Georgia for a writ of certiorari to review Division 2 of this Honorable Court’s December 19, 2024 decision in Appellants’ favor in the above-styled cases regarding disqualification,” her office wrote.
What Happened?
In a 2–1 decision, the appeals court judges sided with Trump and eight codefendants, who had attempted to overturn Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee’s decision in March that allowed Willis to remain on the case. McAfee had given an ultimatum to Willis and Wade: Either she step down or Wade would have to step down. Hours after the order was handed down, Wade submitted his resignation letter.
Willis had been accused by Trump and his codefendants of having what they said was an inappropriate relationship with Wade and financially benefitting from the arrangement. The two confirmed they were in a relationship but denied any financial benefits and denied that it adversely impacted the case.
“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the appeals court stated in Thursday’s decision.
The court said McAfee’s remedy in handling the accusations against Willis “did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.”
“While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings,” the appeals court ruling said.
