Georgia Appeals Court Hands Trump Massive Win With Fani Willis Ruling
Donald Trump just got some good news on another legal front.
A Georgia appeals court has agreed to review the decision to keep Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on the RICO prosecution against Trump in his Georgia election interference case. That criminal trial charges Trump and more than a dozen of his associates with trying to steal Georgia’s 2020 election from the candidate that actually won the majority of votes, Joe Biden. Now, with Tuesday’s decision from the appeals court, it’s not clear when the case will actually go to trial.
This is a huge win for Trump, who had appealed a lower court ruling to allow Willis to continue overseeing the case. The appeal court’s order says Trump can file a notice of appeal within the next 10 days.
Willis was allowed to remain on the Georgia RICO case after she was accused of hiring special prosecutor Nathan Wade—a man she had a relationship with and who billed her office (and taxpayers) more than $728,000 in legal fees—for personal financial gain. The couple was also accused of taking several international vacations together that were allegedly partially bankrolled by public funds. However, after weeks of intense questioning, a Georgia judge ruled in March that Willis would be allowed to continue prosecuting Trump so long as Wade took the fall.
In a letter submitted to the District Attorney’s Office filing, Wade wrote that his leave, effective immediately, was in the “interest of democracy” and to move the case forward “as quickly as possible.”
That expediency may have been for naught, however. Deliberating Trump’s appeal is expected to push back the election interference trial significantly, with some attorneys predicting it could easily push past November—after which Trump could, potentially, pardon himself for the felonies he’s been charged with.
“Trump & his allies will always find something, anything to delay their day in Court,” wrote former Justice Department official Anthony Coley. “Bottom line: This November, the people will decide if Trump will ever face accountability for trying to overturn the will of voters.”