Fulton County DA Fani Willis disqualification ruling anticipated this week

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee is anticipated to make a ruling this week over whether District Attorney Fani Willis and/or special prosecutor Nathan Wade — with whom she had a romantic relationship — should be disqualified from their investigation and subsequent indictment of former President Donald Trump.

On March 1, McAfee heard three hours worth of closing arguments from attorneys representing Willis and some of Trump’s co-defendants, and said he hoped to make a decision on the case “over the next two weeks.” That two-week window expires on Friday, March 15, meaning Georgia’s March 12 presidential primary could be held while McAfee is still making his decision.

Willis is the locally elected district attorney who issued dozens of indictments in August 2023 accusing the nation’s 45th president and his allies of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

Willis is facing allegations she misused taxpayer funds and crossed ethical boundaries during her romantic relationship with Wade.

Relationship between DA Fani Willis and Nathan Wade started years earlier than claimed, witness says

A former friend and co-worker of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified Thursday that Willis’ personal relationship with a special prosecutor began before she hired him to lead the election interference case against Donald Trump.

Robin Yeartie’s testimony directly contradicts statements from Willis and Wade that their personal relationship didn’t begin until after Wade was hired in November 2021. Wade, who took the witness stand after Yeartie, testified that his relationship with Willis began in early 2022.

The differing testimony came in a hearing that could determine whether Willis should be removed from the case accusing Trump and others of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Willis’ removal would be a stunning development in the most sprawling of the four criminal cases against Trump. An additional delay would likely lessen the chance that a trial would be held before the November election, when he is expected to be the Republican nominee for president.

In a court filing earlier this month, Willis and Wade said they were not in a personal relationship when Wade was hired, and that he and Willis shared travel expenses and never lived together.