Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been disqualified from prosecuting Donald Trump in Georgia’s high-profile election interference case, following a split ruling Thursday from the Georgia Court of Appeals. The 2-1 decision found that Willis’ involvement created an appearance of impropriety that irreparably tainted the proceedings.
Court Cites “Appearance of Impropriety”
The appellate court’s majority opinion, authored by Judge Trenton Brown, noted that Willis’ intimate relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade undermined the integrity of her prosecutorial decisions.
“The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring,” Judge Brown wrote.
While the court declined to dismiss the indictment against Trump and his co-defendants, Willis’ disqualification raises significant challenges for the prosecution of the former president, now president-elect, and others accused of attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
