A Georgia Court of Appeals ruled Thursday to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case against President-elect Donald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators over charges related to the 2020 election subversion.
The long-awaited decision, which impacts a state criminal case already on hold, raises uncertainty about the case’s ability to move forward. The court determined that Willis’ office could no longer handle the prosecution, meaning a new special prosecutor would need to be appointed for the case to continue.
The appeals court cited a "significant appearance of impropriety" as sufficient grounds to potentially undermine the public’s confidence in the case. However, the court ruled against dismissing the entire racketeering conspiracy case.
"While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings," the court stated in its opinion.
The court further clarified: "We cannot conclude that the record also supports the imposition of the extreme sanction of dismissal of the indictment."
Trump and some of his co-defendants had sought Willis' disqualification due to a reported romantic relationship she had with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor hired to assist in the case. The defendants argued that Willis financially benefited from this relationship, with defense attorneys claiming Wade covered several vacations for the couple.
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