A Georgia appeals court has scheduled a hearing for December to consider arguments on the appeal of a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. The Georgia Court of Appeals has set oral arguments for December 5, delaying the lower court proceedings until after the November general election.
The appeal will be decided by a three-judge panel of the intermediate appeals court, consisting of Trenton Brown, Todd Markle, and Benjamin Land. The panel will have until mid-March to rule on the case, after which the losing side could potentially appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Last August, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others for allegedly participating in a scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. While four defendants have pleaded guilty, Trump and the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Trump faces multiple criminal cases, including a recent dismissal of a case in Florida related to handling classified documents. In New York, Trump was convicted in a hush money trial but sentencing was postponed due to a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Another federal case in Washington charging Trump with election interference is also facing delays.
Trump and eight other defendants are seeking to have Willis and her office removed from the case, citing a conflict of interest due to her past relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Despite initial concerns raised by the Superior Court Judge, Scott McAfee, Willis was allowed to remain on the case after Wade resigned.
The case has seen significant developments, including the airing of intimate details of Willis and Wade's personal lives in court earlier this year. The upcoming hearing in December will be crucial in determining the future of the election interference case against Trump and his co-defendants.
