A Georgia appeals court has delayed Donald Trump's election meddling trial pending a ruling on whether the District Attorney of Fulton County Fannie Willis may remain active in the case. The court has until mid-March to make a decision. This will put the case on hold for months after the presidential elections in November, reports the BBC, quoted by News.bg.
The hearing is currently scheduled for October 4.
Lawyers for the former US president have repeatedly asked prosecutor Willis to be removed from the case, alleging that her romantic relationship with another prosecutor created a conflict. The trial was nearly thrown out after one of the co-defendants in the case claimed that prosecutor Willis took undue advantage of her relationship with Attorney General Nathan Wade.
During several tense days in court in February, Willis admitted she had an affair with Wade but denied any benefits. In March, Judge Scott McAfee found Willis had "serious error in judgment" and that the relationship prejudiced the case with an "appearance of impropriety". His final decision is for the case to continue with Willis, while Wade must resign. He retired soon after.
However, Wednesday's decision will prevent the case from moving forward, as the losing party has the option of appealing the case to the state Supreme Court.
As a reminder, Donald Trump and 18 other people have been charged in the state of Georgia with conspiring to overturn the state's 2020 election results, which they deny.
The election meddling case is one of three criminal cases facing the former president, with both left and right political parties closely watching developments ahead of November's presidential election.
On May 31, Trump was found guilty of falsifying business documents related to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The same day it became clear that the former president would appeal the sentence. According to him, the trial is an attempt to undermine his candidacy for the White House.
Additionally, Willis won the primary last month, meaning she will be the Democratic nominee in November, facing a Republican opponent. That opponent, a former White House intern under Trump, will face some difficulties in Democratic Fulton County, which includes Atlanta.