Quick Hit:

A Georgia appeals court has agreed to review a lower court ruling that allows Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. The decision is likely to delay the case and reduce the possibility of it reaching trial before the November general election.

Key Details:

• The appeal follows a March ruling by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who found no conflict of interest that would necessitate Willis's removal from the case.
• Trump's lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, has stated that they look forward to presenting arguments to the appeals court as to why the case should be dismissed and why Willis should be disqualified.
• The allegations against Willis first surfaced in a motion filed in early January by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman.

Diving Deeper:

The appeal comes after Trump and other defendants in the case attempted to have Willis and her office removed, citing her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade as a conflict of interest. However, Judge McAfee ruled in March that no such conflict existed that would require Willis's removal from the case. Despite this, he granted a request from Trump and the other defendants to seek an appeal of his ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals.

The decision by the intermediate appeals court to take up the case is likely to cause a delay, further reducing the possibility of the case reaching trial before the November general election. This is particularly significant as Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee for president.

Trump's lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, has expressed that the former president looks forward to presenting arguments to the appeals court as to why the case should be dismissed and why Willis "should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution." A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment on the Court of Appeals decision to take up the matter.

The allegations against Willis first surfaced in a motion filed in early January by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman. The motion alleged that Willis and Wade were involved in an inappropriate romantic relationship and that Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then benefitted when he paid for lavish vacations. Willis and Wade acknowledged the relationship but said they didn't begin dating until the spring of 2022, after Wade was hired in November 2021, and their romance ended last summer.