Georgia court disqualifies prosecutor Fani Willis from Trump election case
Al Jazeera
The decision adds further uncertainty to the case, which alleges Trump and his allies tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential race.
An appeals court in the state of Georgia has ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from prosecuting an election interference case against United States President-elect Donald Trump.
In a 2-1 ruling on Thursday, the court found that a romantic relationship between Willis and a former top deputy disqualified her from leading the case against Trump and 14 of his allies.
“While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings,” the court stated in its opinion.
The ruling is the latest setback for the case, which focuses on Trump’s efforts to reverse his loss in the 2020 presidential election based on false claims that the race was “rigged” against him.
Thursday’s appeals court decision does not require the case to be discarded, but a new state prosecutor will have to take over, in order for proceedings to move forward.
