The Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump came to a screeching halt Wednesday after a court ruled that efforts to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis need to be settled first.
Willis secured an indictment against Trump and multiple co-defendants alleging a vast racketeering-style operation, with Trump at the helm, that had purportedly tried to subvert the 2020 election. The case ran into an iceberg when revelations emerged that Willis and her special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, had engaged in a romantic relationship.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled against Trump’s efforts to disqualify Willis because of the fling, but Trump’s legal team appealed that ruling.
On Wednesday, the Georgia Court of Appeals said nothing in the trial should move forward until an appellate panel determines whether Willis should be disqualified, according to The New York Times.
A representative for Willis declined to comment, according to Time.
“The Georgia Court of Appeals has properly stayed all proceedings against President Trump in the trial court pending its decision on our interlocutory appeal, which argues the case should be dismissed and Fulton County DA Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct,” attorney Steve Sadow, representing Trump, said in a statement, according to the New York Post.
Fell right on her fanni! Appeals Court halts President Trump’s bogus Georgia persecution, during the appeal of the order permitting Willis stay on. https://t.co/hlyUNYE6nS
— Ken Fendler (@KenFendler) June 5, 2024
The stay applies to Trump and eight co-defendants who sought to have Willis booted from the case, according to CBS.
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The Times noted that oral arguments in the Willis case have been scheduled for Oct. 4, but the ruling could come months after that, ensuring that the Georgia case will not come to trial before the November election.
Federal cases against Trump in Florida, where he faces allegations of mishandling classified documents, and Washington, where he faces allegations of election interference, both also appear unlikely to go to trial before the election.
The Times report cited Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, as saying that a ruling on the Willis issue must be reached by March 14.
With everything on hold, McAfee cannot proceed with a motion Trump filed saying he should have presidential immunity from the Georgia case.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the immunity issue this month, because the Georgia case is frozen, McAfee cannot rule on the request until after the Willis issue is decided.
“If his ruling on that motion triggers a new round of appeals, Trump may wind up with a procedural reprieve that buys him time until a 2026 trial at this rate,” Kreis said.
