Appeals Court Removes Fani Willis From Trump’s Georgia Election Case

Appeals Court Removes Fani Willis From Trump’s Georgia Election Case
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 14, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

ATLANTA—A state appeals court on Thursday removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election case against Donald Trump and others but did not dismiss the indictment, leaving the future of the prosecution uncertain.

The case against Trump and more than a dozen others had already been largely stalled for months while the Georgia Court of Appeals considered the pretrial appeal.

The new ruling means it will be up to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find another prosecutor to take over the case and to decide whether to continue to pursue it, though that could be delayed if Willis decides to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Whether it is ultimately Willis or another prosecutor in charge, it seems unlikely that a prosecution against Trump could continue while he’s president for the next four years. But there are 14 other defendants who still face charges.

Two federal criminal cases against Trump have already been abandoned after the Republican won the presidency in November. Meanwhile, a judge in New York has refused throw out his hush money conviction from earlier this year, though the future of that case is uncertain.