In brief
The Georgia Supreme Court has declined to review an appeals court ruling disqualifying District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting Donald Trump for election interference due to an 'appearance of impropriety' stemming from her romantic involvement with a special prosecutor. This ruling leaves the case in limbo as the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia will need to appoint a new prosecutor. With Trump now a sitting president, pursuing charges may be complicated, but 14 other defendants still face charges in the case.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s highest court has declined to consider Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ appeal of her removal from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others. Citing an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship Willis had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to lead the case, the Georgia Court of Appeals in December ruled that Willis and her office could not continue to prosecute the case. “Willis’ misconduct during the investigation and prosecution of President Trump was egregious and she deserved nothing less than disqualification,” Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney in the Georgia case, stated. A spokesperson for Willis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Willis in January asked the Georgia Supreme Court to review that ruling, but on Tuesday, the high court declined in a narrow 4-3 decision to take up the case. This ruling places the responsibility on the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find another prosecutor to take over the case. The new prosecutor could either continue along the lines of Willis' indictments, choose to pursue only some charges, or dismiss the case entirely. However, it might be challenging to find a prosecutor willing to undertake such a complex case due to the significant resources it requires.Even if a new prosecutor wishes to follow the previous path charted by Willis, prosecuting Trump might prove unlikely since he is currently a sitting president. Nevertheless, there are still 14 other defendants facing charges in the matter. A grand jury in Atlanta indicted Trump and 18 others in August 2023 under the state’s anti-racketeering law, alleging they participated in attempts to overturn Trump’s narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden. The prosecution's narrative includes Trump’s notorious call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he requested help finding votes to outpace Biden’s count. Four individuals have since entered guilty pleas in the matter. The current case against Trump is one of four criminal actions filed against him in 2023. Special counsel Jack Smith abandoned two federal prosecutions following Trump’s election win in November. In a separate case concerning hush money payments in New York, Trump was convicted on 34 counts but did not receive a punitive sentence. Willis contended that her disqualification was solely based on perceived impropriety rather than any actual misconduct, arguing that no Georgia court has historically disqualified a district attorney solely on these grounds. Consequently, this decision may have ramifications for the future of the case and the broader legal landscape regarding election interference.
