The Georgia Court of Appeals has temporarily halted proceedings in the 2020 election case involving former President Donald Trump while it reviews a trial judge’s ruling that allowed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the case. The stay only applies to Trump and the eight co-defendants who sought to have Willis and her office removed from the case due to a romantic relationship she had with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor. The appeals court is tentatively set to hear arguments on the disqualification bid on October 4, with a decision required by March 14, 2025. This delay makes it unlikely that a trial will be held before the November election, where Trump will face President Biden for a second term.
The disqualification effort led by Trump and his allies has disrupted proceedings in the Fulton County case for months as evidentiary hearings were held by Judge Scott McAfee to determine whether to grant the request to remove Willis from the case. The motion accused Willis of improperly benefiting from her relationship with Wade, which Willis and Wade admitted to but said began after Wade was hired and ended in 2023. McAfee rejected the request to disqualify Willis but criticized her conduct, saying there was an “odor of mendacity” in the relationship. Trump faces 10 charges in the racketeering case, with four co-defendants already pleading guilty after reaching plea deals.
With the pause in proceedings in Georgia, only one of the four criminal cases involving Trump will have gone to trial when voters cast their ballots in November. Trump was recently convicted of 34 felony counts in New York related to falsifying business records, making him the first former president found guilty of a crime. He plans to appeal the conviction, which could take months or years to reach a conclusion. Trump also faces federal charges in Washington, D.C., and South Florida related to alleged schemes to subvert the transfer of presidential power in 2020 and handling of government records after leaving office. Proceedings in Washington have been paused, and a trial in South Florida has been delayed indefinitely.
The legal battles surrounding Trump’s criminal cases have added another layer of complexity as he faces multiple charges in different jurisdictions. The delays in the Fulton County case put a trial before the November election in doubt, impacting the potential outcomes for Trump and his co-defendants. As Trump continues to fight the allegations against him, he remains immersed in legal proceedings that have the potential to impact his political future and personal reputation. The legal team representing Trump in the various criminal cases continues to plan its strategy for defending him against multiple charges and seeking to clear his name amid ongoing scrutiny and legal challenges.
