NYT: Trump’s Georgia Prosecution “Effectively Froze, At Least Through Election”

The Georgia Appeals court issued a one-page ruling that stops all trail-level proceedings until the appealed ruling on removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is settled.

From the New York Times:

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed the criminal election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump until an appellate panel could resolve the matter of whether the district attorney in Fulton County should be disqualified from prosecuting the case based on a conflict of interest.

In a one-page order, the court stated that any movement at the trial-court level pertaining to Mr. Trump and eight other defendants who have appealed a ruling allowing the prosecutor, Fani T. Willis, to remain on the case was “stayed pending the outcome of these appeals.”

Earlier this week, the appellate court set a tentative date for oral argument of Oct. 4. Legal experts expect the appeals will take months to resolve.

The order was more bad news for critics and opponents of Mr. Trump who had hoped that he would stand trial in Georgia before he faced off against President Joseph R. Biden in the general election. Mr. Trump and a number of his allies were indicted in Georgia last summer in a sweeping racketeering case that accused them of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

But the case was derailed earlier this year with the revelation that Ms. Willis had been romantically involved with a lawyer she hired to manage the case.

A Guide to the Trump Investigations
Confused about the inquiries and legal cases involving former President Donald Trump and his allies? We’re here to help.
Case Tracker: Trump is facing multiple criminal cases related to his business and political activities. Follow the latest developments.

Defense lawyers argued that Ms. Willis and her entire office should be disqualified, but the presiding judge, Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, allowed her to stay on it. The defense successfully convinced the state appellate court to hear a pretrial appeal of Judge McAfee’s ruling.

In addition to Mr. Trump, those appealing the disqualification ruling include Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, who was Mr. Trump’s White House chief of staff at the time of the 2020 election.