Hearing to remove Fulton County DA Fani Willis from Trump case set for Dec 5—putting trial on hold until after election

The Georgia Court of Appeals will hear arguments on December 5 from former President Donald Trump’s legal team to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the election-related case against him. This follows the court's agreement in May to review a decision by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, which allowed Willis to remain on the case.

Trump’s team has sought to disqualify Willis due to her personal relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Judge McAfee ruled in March that either Wade or Willis had to leave the case. Wade withdrew from the case shortly after the ruling. The Georgia Appeals Court has since agreed to pause proceedings in the case while it reviews the ruling. The appeals court has until March 2025 to issue a ruling, according to CBS News.

Trump faces 10 charges in Georgia related to his actions following the 2020 election. However, public attention has shifted from the case itself to the alleged inappropriate relationship between Willis and Wade and claims of financial benefits Willis purportedly received from this relationship.

Michael Roman, a co-defendant, asserted that Wade and Willis’s relationship began before Wade was hired for the Trump case. Trump’s team has joined Roman’s motion to dismiss the charges, arguing the prosecution is invalid.

The recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity may also impact the prosecution. It is likely that McAffe will conduct a review to determine if the charges in this case meet the criteria established by the Supreme Court ruling.