In a significant development, a Georgia appeals court has put a pause on the election subversion conspiracy case involving former President Donald Trump and several co-defendants. This move marks a major win for Trump’s legal strategy, potentially postponing any trial until 2025 or beyond.
The decision, announced on Wednesday by the Georgia Court of Appeals, means the trial will remain on hold until a panel of judges rules on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the case.
The appeals court’s ruling is expected by March 2025, with the timeline remaining uncertain. Sources close to the case revealed to CNN that the outcome could come sooner but is not guaranteed.
Initially, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee had allowed proceedings to proceed while the appeals court considered an appeal regarding Willis’s involvement in the case.
Willis’s office refrained from commenting on the recent order, leaving open the possibility of seeking an expedited decision from the appeals court.
Trump and his co-defendants have sought Willis’s disqualification due to her past romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor hired for the case. They argued that Willis benefited financially from the relationship, allegations that McAfee found insufficient evidence to support in a previous hearing.
Trump’s lead defense counsel in Georgia, Steve Sadow, hailed the appeals court’s decision as appropriate, emphasizing their appeal to dismiss the case and disqualify Willis for alleged misconduct.
Meanwhile, in a separate legal battle in Florida over classified documents, Trump’s efforts have also seen delays favoring his defense. The federal judge overseeing the Florida case, Aileen Cannon, has signaled willingness to entertain Trump’s requests to question investigators and challenge prosecutors’ authority.
Cannon’s indication to allocate substantial court time for Trump’s arguments adds another layer of uncertainty to the legal proceedings, mirroring the situation in Georgia with no fixed trial date established for the Florida case.
