Georgia Supreme Court denies Willis bid on Trump racketeering case

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's appeal to remain on the racketeering case accusing former President Donald Trump and others of trying to overturn the state's 2020 election, effectively removing Willis and her office from the prosecution and sending the matter to a state panel to appoint a successor. The decision was announced in filings from the court and follows an appellate ruling last December that barred Willis over an appearance of impropriety related to a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Willis had asked the high court in January to review the Court of Appeals ruling that disqualified her and her office. The appeals court found that the appearance of impropriety created by Willis's relationship with Wade, whom she hired to lead the case, could not be cured by Wade's resignation. Willis argued to the state Supreme Court that no Georgia court had disqualified a prosecutor for mere appearance without proof of actual misconduct and that the appeals panel had overruled the trial judge's discretion. The Supreme Court declined review, with court filings variously describing the vote as...