Georgia appeals court has decided to cancel the upcoming oral arguments regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s attempt to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from overseeing his criminal prosecution. The Georgia Court of Appeals issued a brief order on Monday, stating that the Dec. 5 hearing would be delayed “until further order of this Court.” No further explanation was provided for the decision, which came shortly after Trump secured his White House victory.
Earlier this year, Trump sought to derail his prosecution related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. The central issue was Willis’s relationship with Nathan Wade, a top prosecutor she had hired to manage the case. Following a heated hearing, the trial judge ruled that the case could continue under Willis’s supervision as long as Wade resigned from the prosecution, which he did.
The appeals court had been scheduled to hear arguments from Trump and eight of his co-defendants, who claimed that Willis should be disqualified from the case. Willis had indicted Trump and several of his allies on charges of racketeering and other offenses related to an alleged conspiracy to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. This is one of four criminal cases currently facing the former president.
Trump’s legal team has argued that all his criminal prosecutions should be dismissed due to his status as president-elect. However, they had not yet formally pursued such a move in the Georgia case.
The Georgia appeals court could still issue a ruling without holding the planned arguments, but before the election, it had agreed to proceed with the hearing at Trump’s request. This cancellation marks the latest development in Trump’s legal battles following his election victory.
Meanwhile, Trump’s other criminal cases have also experienced delays. Special counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case in Washington, D.C., and his appeal in the classified documents case in Florida have both been put on hold. Smith is working on winding down these cases before Trump’s inauguration and is expected to provide an update by December 2.
In New York, a judge has temporarily frozen the hush money case against Trump, awaiting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s next steps, which are due by Tuesday. Legal experts predict that sentencing in this case will likely be postponed as well.
