Georgia v. Trump et al
In August,2023,McAffee was assigned to preside over the racketeering case,State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump,et al,Case # 23SC188947,in which former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants are charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 Georgia presidential election results. [7] [13] Fani Willis was the state prosecutor of that case. [1]
Appellate Case # A24I016
On December 16,2024,The Georgia Court of Appeals canceled the oral arguments without explanation;The ruling was based solely on legal filings:
"After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order,we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office”,(referring to an earlier ruling that allowed Willis to remain on the case)…McAfee’s decision did not prevent the “appearance of impropriety…The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring…While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification,this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings." [14] [15] [16]
On September 16,2025,the Georgia Supreme Court denied certiorari,and the Fulton County DA's office's disqualification from the case was finalized. The Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia is now responsible for the case until a new prosecutor is found. [17] [18]
Willis had been under scrutiny over her relationship with a special prosecutor on the case,Nathan Wade.
Recovery of Legal Fees
A 2025 Georgia law permits defendants in dismissed cases,in which the prosecutor has been disqualified for misconduct,to seek relief as to reimbursement of attorney fees with taxpayer funds. [19]
As of early 2025,President Trump had paid about $2.7 million to his lead attorneys;the Georgia Republican Party had paid about $2 million for other defendants,according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . [20]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
