Topline
The Georgia Court of Appeals halted the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants until a ruling is made on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can prosecute it—all but ensuring the case will not go to trial ahead of the November election.
The decision to halt former President Donald Trump’s Georgia case until a decision is made in the … [+]
Key Facts
Wednesday’s decision prevents the case from moving forward until the court rules on Trump’s appeal that Willis should be disqualified over a relationship she had with a prosecutor on her team, which Trump’s lawyers alleged was a conflict of interest and violation of public money laws.
Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March that Willis did not need to be disqualified, but that she or the prosecutor she had a relationship with should step down from the case, which prosecutor Nathan Wade did promptly; Trump then appealed the decision.
Earlier this week, the appeals court scheduled a hearing in the appeal for Oct. 4, and it will have until mid-March 2025 to issue a ruling on whether Willis can continue on in the case—meaning it’s highly unlikely that the case will begin before the Nov. 8 presidential election.
McAfee had previously ruled that proceedings in the case could continue while Trump appealed his decision, CNN reported.
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Big Number
10. That’s how many felony charges Trump is facing in Georgia, including a violation of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The indictment originally had 13 charges, though McAfee agreed to throw out some of the charges in March and prosecutors are appealing to have the charges reinstated.
Key Background
Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted in Georgia last August for their roles in an alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges—though a number of his co-defendants including Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell and Scott Hall have accepted plea agreements and pleaded guilty. The Georgia trial is just one of four that Trump faces while running for reelection, including the New York hush money trial in which he was just convicted. Trump also faces charges in Florida for mishandling classified documents and federal charges for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, though it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that either of those go to trial before the general election in November.
Tangent
Another one of Trump’s legal battles had a timeline change Wednesday. In Florida, Federal Judge Aileen Cannon scheduled a number of hearings in Trump’s case over the mishandling of classified documents for later this month in a move that could further delay the case, which is already far from trial. Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, is facing pushback from prosecutors for how slow the case is moving and for granting hearings for a number of Trump’s legal arguments.