The Georgia Court of Appeals has indefinitely paused the election subversion conspiracy case against Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants, marking a significant victory for the former president as he aims to delay or dismiss legal challenges before the 2024 presidential election.
The order, filed on Wednesday, suggests that the state-level trial in Georgia will likely not proceed before the upcoming election.
The court’s decision places the case on hold until a panel of judges rules on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified.
This ruling is anticipated by March 2025, though it may come sooner. Sources familiar with the case have indicated the timeline remains uncertain.
Previously, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee permitted proceedings to continue in his courtroom while the appeals court reviewed an appeal regarding Willis’s involvement in the case.
A representative for Willis’s office stated they could not comment on the appeals court’s order at this time. However, the district attorney has the option to request the appeals court expedite its decision.
The appeals court’s ruling highlights Trump’s ongoing strategy of putting prosecutors on the defensive, attacking them publicly, and challenging them in court.
Trump and some co-defendants have sought to disqualify Willis, citing her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed.
The defense argued that Willis financially benefited from this relationship, as Wade allegedly covered several vacations for the pair.
In March, after a mini-trial where Trump’s attorneys tried to prove Willis’s financial benefit from her relationship with Wade, Judge McAfee concluded there was insufficient evidence.
Willis’s televised testimony shifted the focus from the charges against Trump and his co-defendants to her personal life.
Ultimately, the judge allowed Willis to continue leading the case, provided Wade stepped down, which he did.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead defense attorney in Georgia, supported the court’s decision.
“The Georgia Court of Appeals has properly stayed all proceedings against President Trump in the trial court pending its decision on our interlocutory appeal which argues the case should be dismissed and Fulton County DA Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct,” Sadow said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday night, Trump expressed his confidence in his legal team despite the guilty verdict in his criminal hush money trial in New York.
“No, it’s a rigged system and it’s a terrible system actually,” Trump said.
“I think we’re doing very well.
We had a big thing happen in Georgia today.”
Florida Case Delays Favor Trump
In Florida, Trump’s classified documents case is also experiencing delays.
The federal judge overseeing the proceedings, Aileen Cannon, has shown a willingness to allocate significant in-court time to Trump’s requests to question investigators and challenge his prosecutors’ authority.
Cannon indicated on Wednesday that she is open to holding a hearing where Trump’s attorneys could question federal investigators under oath and dedicated a day and a half this month to hearing arguments on the legality of his prosecution.
Similar to the Georgia case, the Florida documents case does not have a set trial date.