Read the order regarding motion to disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney for yourself here:
Disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney
Ultimately, Willis will be allowed to stay on the case, for now.
The Fulton County judge weighing whether to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia’s 2020 election interference case has issued a ruling, offering Willis two pathways forward.
In the ruling, Judge Scott McAfee did not find that Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade amounted to a conflict of interest that should disqualify her from the case, writing in the ruling that “there has not been a showing that the Defendants’ due process rights have been violated or that the issues involved prejudiced the Defendants in any way.” However, he said, the allegations created an “appearance of impropriety” that infected the prosecution team and the relationship was a “tremendous” lapse in judgment and the “unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony.”
McAfee, therefore, offered Willis two choices: that she choose to step aside, along with the entire District Attorneys office and refer the case to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council for reassignment, or Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade can withdraw, “allowing the D.A., the Defendants, and the public to move forward without his presence.”
In a statement, Steve Sadow, lead counsel for President Trump, said while he respected the court’s decision, he believed the judge did not “afford appropriate significance” to the alleged misconduct of Willis and Wade.
“We will use all legal options available as we continue to fight to end this case, which should never have been brought in the first place,” Sadow said.
The ruling provides an answer to a controversy that has embroiled the district attorney and her office for more than two months.
In January, an attorney representing one of the defendants in the case filed a motion asking the judge to disqualify the D.A. and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade, accusing the pair of improperly financially benefitting from a romantic relationship they shared. Other defendants soon joined the effort to remove her from the case. Willis and Wade denied the allegations.
Wade had been appointed by Willis to lead the team of prosecutors pursuing a criminal case against former president Donald Trump and eighteen others accused in an August 2023 RICO indictment of unlawfully interfering in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Wade’s appointment to the role of special prosecutor generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for his law firm, public records revealed.
Defense attorneys sought to establish that the pair were romantically involved at the time of the appointment and that Wade used some of the money he earned as special prosecutor to pay for vacations for the pair.
The prosecutors admitted that they shared a romantic relationship in the past, but denied that anything improper occurred.
This sounds reasonable. I could see Willis disbarred down the road, but unethical or criminal actions in the prosecutor’s office shouldn’t invalidate a case.Report
Which is sort of the point here – two lawyers MAY have acted unethicly in their personal relationship, but no evidence was presented that this taints the case taken to the grand jury from which the indictments stem. Its just a delaying tactic, and one thrown down by a defense team that really doesn’t want to take this to trial.Report
Cutting the baby in half, or leaving that option to the parties.Report