Washington— The Georgia Court of Appeals has temporarily halted proceedings in the 2020 election case involving former President Donald Trump review the judgment of the trial judge which allowed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the case.
The stay issued by the court only applies to Trump and eight co-defendants who sought to have Willis and his office removed from the case because of her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, who is the special prosecutor.
A panel of three judges in the appeals court is tentative tuned in to hear the argument on October 4 disqualification bid. The case is being heard in August, and the decision must be rendered on March 14, 2025. The pause in the process makes it very unlikely that the trial will be held before the November elections, when Trump will face President Biden for a second term in the White House. Willis’ office declined to comment.
Trump and a group of co-defendants in March appeal the decision from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee who allowing Willis to remain in the event that Wade resigned, which he did.
The disqualification effort has derailed the process in the Fulton County case for a month when McAfee held an evidentiary hearing to determine whether to grant a request by Trump and his allies to remove Willis and her office from prosecution. The motion, brought by longtime GOP operative Michael Roman and later joined by the former president and seven others, accuses Willis of having an inappropriate romantic relationship with Wade and benefiting financially from it.
Willis and Wade admitted they were romantically involved, however said relationship It began after Wade was hired as a special prosecutor in November 2021. It ends in the summer of 2023, they said. The two attorneys also argued that Willis benefited financially from the relationship and testified that they split the costs of the trips they took together.
In denying a request to disqualify Willis, McAfee issued a scathing rebuke of the district attorney’s conduct. The judge said that he could not determine whether the prosecutor’s relationship was romantic, “the smell of mendacity remains.” McAfee criticized Willis for his “extraordinary lapse.”
Trump faces 10 charges in a sprawling racketeering case brought by Fulton County prosecutors and has pleaded not guilty. The indictment was returned by a grand jury last August alleging Trump and 18 others hatched an illegal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia and keep Trump in power. Four of the former president’s defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
The delay in the process in Georgia means that when voters choose a president in November, only one in four criminal cases involving Trump will go to trial. Trump is there convicted last week of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York, making him the first former president to be found guilty of a crime. He and his lawyers have sworn to appeal conviction, kicking off a process that can take months or years to reach a conclusion. Trump is set to be sentenced July 11.
Federal prosecutions brought in Washington, DC, and South Florida have been halted or moved forward slowly. Trump was indicted on four charges related to an alleged plan to undermine the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election and 40 charges for handling sensitive government records after leaving the White House and attempting to obstruct the investigation. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The action in Washington has paused while on The Supreme Court is considering whether Trump is immune of federal criminal charges for alleged official misconduct. A judge in South Florida separated late try there is no end because they are still waiting for pre-trial motions and other issues.
Jared Eggleston contributed to this report