A state appeals court in Atlanta has made a significant decision in the Georgia election interference case involving former President Donald Trump and others. The court has removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case but has not dismissed the indictment, leaving the future of the prosecution uncertain.
The case against Trump and more than a dozen other defendants had been largely stalled for months as the Georgia Court of Appeals reviewed a pretrial appeal. With the recent ruling, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia will need to appoint a new prosecutor to take over the case and determine whether to proceed with the prosecution. However, any further developments could be delayed if Willis chooses to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
While it appears unlikely that a prosecution against Trump could move forward during his presidency, there are still 14 other defendants facing charges in the case. Two federal criminal cases against Trump were dropped after he won the presidency in November, and a New York judge has upheld his hush money conviction from earlier this year, though the future of that case remains uncertain.
The grand jury in Atlanta indicted Trump and 18 others in August 2023, alleging their involvement in a scheme to unlawfully overturn Trump’s narrow 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia. Four defendants have already pleaded guilty after reaching agreements with prosecutors, while Trump and the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Trump and some of the defendants sought to have Willis and her office removed from the case, as well as to have the case dismissed. They argued that Willis' romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created a conflict of interest and that she had made improper public statements about the case. However, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March that there was no conflict of interest warranting Willis' removal. Trump and the defendants subsequently appealed that decision.
