IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Georgia judge in Trump case sets hearing on misconduct allegation against Fani Willis

A Fulton County judge has ordered an evidentiary hearing after a “bold” claim from one of Trump co-defendants. The implications for the prosecution remain to be seen.

By

A Georgia judge just scheduled what will be a closely watched hearing in the Fulton County election interference case for Feb. 15, after one of Donald Trump’s co-defendants filed a motion arguing that District Attorney Fani Willis, her office and special prosecutor Nathan Wade should be disqualified and that the case should be dismissed.

At this point, we’ve only heard in court papers from the defense, and it’s too soon to know what the implications are for the prosecution, if any. We’ll want to see what Willis says in her written response, which is due Feb. 2. The filing from Trump co-defendant Michael Roman spans over 100 pages and claims, among other things, that Willis has a conflict of interest after she allegedly hired a romantic partner in Wade and that she personally benefited from his appointment as special prosecutor.

As the defense motion concedes, it’s a “bold allegation” — and, again, we haven’t heard Willis’ position in court. So we will be eagerly awaiting the district attorney’s written response ahead of the hearing and, of course, what the hearing itself brings next month.

Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for weekly updates on the top legal stories, including news from the Supreme Court, the Donald Trump cases and more.