GA reporter: Here’s what happens with Trump’s Fulton County trial after Fani Willis decision

08 May 2024

Former President Donald Trump's election interference trial in Georgia hit a major roadblock on Wednesday, when his appeal of a decision allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case was granted.

The Georgia Court of Appeals decided recently to hear Trump's appeal, which will almost certainly mean that Willis' Fulton County RICO trial in which she indicted Trump and more than a dozen other co-defendants will not happen before the election. During a recent appearance on MSNBC, Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein laid out the next steps for both the prosecution and the defense, along with a projected timeline that extends into next year.

"What happens next is the case gets docketed in the state appeals court, and it gets assigned to a randomly picked three-judge panel. Then there are oral arguments," Bluestein told guest host Alex Witt. "And then if it gets docketed before July, which it should, that means there is essentially a March 2025 deadline for the court to rule. That's why most attorneys involved in this case and watching this case very closely don't think that it will get to trial until at least 2025."

MSNBC reporter Blayne Alexander said during the segment that the delay was "certainly good news for Trump and his team," but that Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee can still conduct proceedings in the case while the appeal is being considered. Witt sounded incredulous at Bluestein's suggested timeline and asked him to clarify.

"Hang on — you're saying that this case is going to be presented, that each side gets 15 minutes according to Blayne Alexander's reporting, and that that will happen by July, and it will not get ruled upon until March?" Witt asked.

"I don't know when the oral arguments will be scheduled, but if they docket it by July, that means they'll have a March 2025 deadline to rule," he responded. "The appeals court could schedule the arguments later this year, they could schedule them early next year, but what we're looking at right now is the likelihood of a ruling not coming anytime before March 2025."

With the Georgia case being tied up in appeals, that means Trump may effectively be able to avoid having to stand trial altogether if he's elected president. His attorneys have argued that if Trump wins a second term, he would be too busy in his duties as president to have to sit in a Georgia courtroom for a criminal trial, and that the proceedings should be pushed off until 2029, when Trump would be into his eighties.

Earlier this year, Willis successfully fought off the defense's challenge to her standing as lead prosecutor in the case after attorney Ashleigh Merchant tried to get her disqualified from the case. The disqualification bid stemmed from Willis' hiring of special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she admitted having a brief romantic relationship with prior to him joining the case.

Defense attorneys unsuccessfully argued that Willis and Wade's prior relationship constituted a conflict of interest that necessitated their removal from the case. Judge McAfee ruled that either Willis or Wade could stay on, but not both, prompting Wade to resign and for Willis to accept his resignation the day of McAfee's ruling.

Watch the video of Bluestein's comments below, or by clicking this link.

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