Fani Willis' Fate Rests in Hands of GOP-Appointed Judges

Whether or not Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis remains on former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case will be decided by judges appointed by Republicans.

Willis is leading the case against Trump and 18 others accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, lost the state by some 12,000 votes.

But scrutiny fell on Willis after it emerged that she had a relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the case. It was alleged that Willis and Wade had benefited financially from taxpayer money. They later admitted they had a relationship but denied a conflict of interest.

Fani Willis holds a press conference in the Fulton County Government Center after a grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 others on August 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Fulton…

Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images

Following a hearing, Judge Scott McAfee allowed Willis to remain on the case as long as Wade resigned. Willis is still facing pressure from critics, and last month, the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of the disqualification ruling.

The three judges randomly chosen for the appeal—Trenton Brown, Benjamin Land and Todd Markle—were appointed by Republican governors. Brown and Markle were appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2018 by Governor Nathan Deal. Land was appointed to the appellate court in 2022 by Governor Brian Kemp.

Newsweek contacted a representative for Willis by email for comment.

Matthew Mangino, a former district attorney in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, told Newsweek he had “faith in the justice system.

“The judges were randomly selected….I am optimistic that this panel will look at the law and be fair and impartial. This is not a partisan issue it is a legal issue. Sure, there is a lot at stake—but the delay [to the Trump trial date] has removed some of the impact.”

Attorney J. Scott Key told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the judges were neutral-minded and their political affiliations would not affect their judgment.

“You’re going to have about as neutral and a down-the-line set of judges as you could ask for in these three,” Key said, adding that being GOP appointees will not “factor into how they decide the case.”