A Georgia appeals court disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump and 14 allies over alleged attempts to interfere in the 2020 election. The 2-1 ruling cited Willis’ romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a former top deputy, as creating “a significant appearance of impropriety.”
While the court acknowledged that disqualification is rare, it deemed it necessary to preserve public confidence in the case’s integrity. The decision requires a new state prosecutor to take over, although the case itself was not dismissed. Willis’ office plans to appeal the ruling to the Georgia Supreme Court.
The case, part of four criminal prosecutions against Trump since 2020, involves allegations of a conspiracy to overturn his election loss in Georgia. Trump and 14 defendants pleaded not guilty, while four others accepted plea deals.
Trump and his co-defendants sought Willis’ removal, alleging her relationship with Wade created conflicts of interest. Willis admitted to the relationship but denied misconduct, asserting she reimbursed Wade for shared expenses. A lower court allowed her to remain on the case if Wade stepped down, which he did.
The appeals court, however, ruled that Willis’ earlier prosecutorial decisions remained tainted by the relationship. Trump’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, called the decision fair, while Trump criticized the prosecutions as politically motivated.
The case is expected to pause when Trump assumes office in January, and he has called for its dismissal, citing public disapproval of perceived judicial bias.
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