Appeals court won’t hear arguments on Fani Willis’ role in Georgia Trump case until after election

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia appeals court has set a December hearing for arguments on the appeal of a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump.

Trump and other defendants had asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hold oral arguments in the case, and the court on Tuesday set those arguments for Dec. 5. That timing means the lower court proceedings against Trump, which are on hold while the appeal is pending, will not resume before the November general election, when Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.

The appeal is to be decided by a three-judge panel of the intermediate appeals court, which will then have until mid-March to rule. The judges assigned to the case are Trenton Brown, Todd Markle and Benjamin Land. Once the panel rules, the losing side could ask the Georgia Supreme Court to consider an appeal.

A Fulton County grand jury last August indicted Trump and 18 others, accusing them participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally try to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors, but Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.

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