The Georgia Court of Appeals has suspended the election subversion conspiracy case against Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants. This significant development signals that a state-level trial in Georgia will not commence before the upcoming presidential election in 2024, further delaying legal proceedings for the former president.
The court’s decision to halt the case stems from concerns over whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from presiding over the case. This issue will remain unresolved until a panel of judges determines the validity of the allegations against her. The appeals court is expected to rule on this matter by March 2025, though it could potentially make a decision sooner.
While proceedings in Fulton County Superior Court were initially allowed to continue, they have since been put on hold as the court awaits the appeals court’s ruling on Willis’ disqualification. Sources close to the case have informed CNN that the timeline remains uncertain at this point.
This recent development highlights Trump’s successful legal strategy of placing prosecutors on the defensive, publicly attacking them, and challenging their authority in court. In the Georgia case, Trump and some of his co-defendants have attempted to disqualify Willis due to her alleged financial gain from a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired to assist with the case.
In March, after a mini-trial aimed at proving the case against Willis and Wade, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee determined that there was not enough evidence to definitively prove financial benefit from their relationship. Despite this, Trump’s lead defense counsel in Georgia, Steve Sadow, expressed his satisfaction with the ruling, stating that it properly halted all proceedings pending further appeals court rulings.
Speaking briefly to pool reporters Wednesday night, Trump expressed his confidence in his legal team and emphasized the importance of recent developments in the Georgia case. I think we’re doing very well,” he stated. We had a big thing happen in Georgia today.
The Florida documents case involving Trump has also experienced delays, with the federal judge overseeing the proceedings showing a willingness to devote significant time to Trump’s requests for questioning investigators and challenging the prosecutor’s authority. Like the Georgia case, no set trial date has been established in Florida.