A hearing on the disqualification of district attorney Fani Willis—who is prosecuting the Georgia criminal case against former President Donald Trump—was tentatively scheduled for October by the Georgia Court of Appeals, meaning the case likely won’t go to trial before the November election.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appears before Judge Scott McAfee for a hearing in the ... [+]
Trump appealed to the higher court to decide whether Willis should be disqualified over allegations that she financially benefited from hiring prosecutor Nathan Wade—who she later began a romantic relationship with—to try the case with her, and that the relationship constituted a conflict of interest.
Oral arguments are tentatively scheduled to be heard on Oct. 4 by Judges Todd Markle, Trenton Brown and Benjamin Land, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which cited notices sent to defense counsel.
Georgia law says the appeals court must issue a ruling within two terms, which the AJC said means the court has until March 2025.
The judges will hear Trump’s team argue that Willis should be disqualified from trying the case, despite a judge ruling in March that she would not be disqualified as the defendants failed to prove Willis had “an actual conflict of interest in this case through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor.”
Judge Scott McAfee did say Willis or Wade should step down, leading Wade to leave the case promptly after the judgment.
Whether the tentative date is moved. The notice sent to counsel said “a calendar will be sent to counsel of record confirming the exact date of oral argument,” according to ABC News.