Georgia appeals court disqualifies Fani Willis but refuses to drop case against Trump

An appeals court in Georgia disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump and others for allegedly trying to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The court, however, declined to dismiss the case altogether.

In a 12-page ruling, the court said a previous ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee allowing Willis to remain on the case if special prosecutor Nathan Wade withdrew did not prevent an "appearance of impropriety." Willis and Wade admitted to having a romantic relationship.

"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," the ruling said. "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."

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"While this is the rare case in which DA Willis and her office must be disqualified due to a significant appearance of impropriety, we cannot conclude that the record also supports the imposition of the extreme sanction of dismissal of the indictment under the appropriate standard," the judges added.

According to WABE, it was unlikely that Trump would face trial before 2029. However, the remaining 14 co-defendants could be tried as early as next year.