Current:Home > StocksJudge clears way for Trump to appeal ruling keeping Fani Willis on Georgia 2020 election case -Wealth Empowerment Academy
Judge clears way for Trump to appeal ruling keeping Fani Willis on Georgia 2020 election case
View
Date:2025-04-18 06:00:51
ATLANTA (AP) — The judge overseeing the Georgia 2020 election interference case cleared the way Wednesday for Donald Trump and other defendants to appeal a ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the prosecution.
Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee granted a request by defense attorneys seeking permission to ask the Georgia Court of Appeals to review the judge’s decision. It will be up to the appeals court to decide whether to hear it.
McAfee in a ruling last week denied the defense’s request to disqualify Willis from the case or dismiss the indictment over her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The judge said Willis can remain on the case as long as Wade resigns, which Wade did on Friday.
But the judge also rebuked Willis for her “tremendous” lapse in judgment and questioned the truthfulness of Wade’s and her testimony about the timing of their relationship.
Attorneys for Trump and the other defendants had said a failure to remove Willis could imperil any convictions and force a retrial if an appeals court later finds it was warranted.
Trump attorney Steve Sadow called the judge’s decision to allow the appeal “highly significant.”
“The defense is optimistic that appellate review will lead to the case being dismissed and the DA being disqualified,” Sadow said in an email.
Wade offered his resignation in a letter to Willis, saying he was doing so “in the interest of democracy, in dedication to the American public and to move this case forward as quickly as possible.”
“I will always remember — and will remind everyone — that you were brave enough to step forward and take on the investigation and prosecution of the allegations that the defendants in this case engaged in a conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 Presidential Election,” Willis wrote.
In a social media post, Trump said the “Fani Willis lover” had “resigned in disgrace,” and Trump repeated his assertion that the case is an effort to hurt his campaign to reclaim the White House in November. Trump has denied doing anything wrong and pleaded not guilty.
veryGood! (87)
Related
- Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
- Comparing Netflix's 'Squid Game The Challenge' reality show to the OG: Dye, but no dying
- Anti-abortion groups shrug off election losses, look to courts, statehouses for path forward
- Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' didn't just speak to me – it changed my life, and taught me English
- USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
- Father of Taylor Swift Fan Who Died in Brazil Speaks Out on Tragedy
- Summer House's Lindsay Hubbard Steps Out With Johnny Bananas During Weekend of Canceled Wedding
- IRS delays 1099-K rules for ticket sales, announces new $5,000 threshold for 2024
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Hit-Boy speaks on being part of NFL's 50th anniversary of hip-hop celebration
Ranking
- US Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million
- Bahrain government websites briefly inaccessible after purported hack claim over Israel-Hamas war
- Mars Williams, saxophonist of the Psychedelic Furs and Liquid Soul, dies at 68 from cancer
- NFL’s look changing as more women move into prominent roles at teams across league
- Report: Lauri Markkanen signs 5-year, $238 million extension with Utah Jazz
- NFL fans are rooting for Taylor and Travis, but mostly they're rooting for football
- Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money after commission approves recovery plan
- Judge overseeing Idaho murders case bars media cameras, citing intense focus on suspect — but the court will livestream
Recommendation
American news website Axios laying off dozens of employees
UAW chief, having won concessions from strikes, aims to expand membership to nonunion automakers
Toyota's lending unit stuck drivers with extra costs and knowingly tarnished their credit reports
Making the Most Out of Friendsgiving
Residents in Alaska capital clean up swamped homes after an ice dam burst and unleashed a flood
Trump, 77, issues letter lauding his health and weight loss on Biden's 81st birthday
Presidential debates commission announces dates and locations for 2024
NFL power rankings Week 12: Eagles, Chiefs affirm their place at top