Trump Georgia election case halted pending outcome of challenge to DA

A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday halted the criminal election interference case against Donald Trump in the state pending the outcome of his bid to disqualify the district attorney prosecuting the former president.

The order by the Georgia Court of Appeals all but guarantees that Trump and eight co-defendants in the case will not stand trial before the November presidential election, where Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee.

The appeals court said it would hear arguments on Oct. 4 on Trump's effort to boot Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case.

Trump is appealing a decision by Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee to allow Willis to remain on the case after her romantic relationship with a top prosecutor in the case came to light.

The appeals court must rule on the question by March 14, 2025, according to the court's website. If Trump loses his appeal, he could then ask the Georgia Supreme Court to hear his argument for Willis' disqualification.

Trump and the other defendants are charged with crimes related to their attempts to reverse his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia after the popular vote.

The appeals court order Wednesday halting the case also applies to Rudy Giuliani, David Shafer, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, Mark Meadows, Cathy Latham, Jeffrey Clark and Harrison Floyd.

Trump was found guilty in New York state court last Thursday of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election to buy her silence about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump.

Trump is due to be sentenced in that case on July 11 in Manhattan Supreme Court.