Georgia Supreme Court Rejects Fani Willis’s Final Bid to Remain on Trump Racketeering Case

Georgia’s Supreme Court has declined to hear Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s appeal from her disqualification in the high-stakes racketeering and election interference case against President Donald Trump and others.


The 4-3 decision affirms a lower court ruling that removed Willis due to what judges described as an “appearance of impropriety” connected to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.


The charges, filed in August 2023 under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act, allege Trump and 18 others conspired to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Willis’s initial removal by the Georgia Court of Appeals, in December 2024, came after the court found that the relationship with Wade, whom she hired early in the case, had already eroded public confidence in the impartiality of the prosecution, even though Wade eventually resigned.


With the Supreme Court refusing to review the appeals court’s decision, Willis’s role in the case is now permanently ended. The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia will take over the case and appoint a new prosecutor, who may choose to continue with all charges, reduce them, or potentially drop some or all of the indictment.


Trump’s status as a sitting president adds additional complexity, while some defendants still face charges, it is widely seen as unlikely that proceedings can move forward against Trump himself until he leaves office.


Willis has publicly expressed her disagreement with the decision but accepted that the case must now proceed under someone else. She emphasised that she would ensure all case materials are passed to the new prosecutorial body and urged that whoever takes over should follow “what the evidence and the law demand.”


This ruling is seen as significant: it sets precedent in Georgia for removing a district attorney based solely on appearance of improper conduct, not necessarily on evidence of an actual conflict of interest. It could influence future cases involving prosecutorial ethics and disqualification motions.

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