Georgia DA Fani Willis removed from Trump case

Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis

(Image credit: Alex Slitz-Pool / Getty Images)

published 20 December 2024

What happened

A Georgia Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 Thursday to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump and others. The appellate decision reversed a lower court ruling that had allowed Willis to continue pursuing the criminal racketeering case after she disclosed a romantic relationship with one of her prosecutors.

The panel of Republican-appointed judges ruled that Willis' romantic relationship created the "appearance of impropriety," prompting a "rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings." The dissenting judge, Benjamin Land, said his colleagues overstepped their legal authority, as Willis "has no actual conflict of interest."

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.