Trump gets green light to appeal judge's own Fani Willis ruling — adding new delay

Donald Trump will have a chance to appeal a ruling that allowed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue overseeing her office's sprawling racketeering case into the former president and several of his associates.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday granted Trump permission to seek an appeal of a ruling McAfee himself made last week that scolded Willis for a "tremendous lapse of judgment" in creating the appearance of a conflict of interest when she hired Nathan Wade, a former boyfriend, to be the lead prosecutor on the case.

However, McAfee concluded that Trump and his lawyers could not prove there was an actual conflict of interest that had compromised Willis' investigation, which is why he allowed her to remain in the case so long as she removed Wade as lead prosecutor.

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Trump will now have the opportunity to take his case to the Georgia Court of Appeals ahead of his trial, although there is no guarantee that the court will take up the case.

All the same, notes the AJC, letting Trump appeal could potentially further delay a trial that was already not expected to begin before the 2024 presidential election.

"Prosecutors have asked that all the defendants be tried next August. But numerous factors make such a timeline highly unlikely," writes AJC.

"For starters, McAfee has expressed skepticism that all the defendants can be tried at once. That likely would mean multiple trials, along with difficult decisions for the prosecution about which of the remaining 15 defendants should be tried together.

"The court must also resolve other issues before the case can go to trial. One example: Trump claims he is immune from prosecution for any actions he took while president. He has asserted that claim in the Georgia case as well as the federal election interference case."