May 21, 2024 - Politics & Policy

DA and judge in Trump's Georgia trial win primary elections

Thomas Wheatley

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, in February. Photo: Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, two key players in the Trump election interference case, handily won their primary elections, as projected by the AP.

Why it matters: The wins keep the slow-going trial on track. A loss by either Willis, the prosecutor in the case, or McAfee, the judge presiding over the trial, could have postponed or derailed one of the former president's most serious legal challenges.

Zoom in: Willis defeated Christian Wise Smith, a former Fulton prosecutor turned author and attorney.

McAfee, a first-term judge appointed to the bench by Gov. Brian Kemp in December 2022, defeated Robert Patillo. Another opponent, Tiffani Johnson, was disqualified after the deadline to remove her name from the ballot had passed.

The intrigue: Trump and other defendants are seeking to disqualify Willis from the case over her relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor hired by the DA's office to help manage the trial.

The Georgia Court of Appeals is expected to take several months to rule on the president's request to remove Willis, according to Georgia Recorder.

What's next: Willis will take on Republican Courtney Kramer, an Alpharetta attorney and former intern in the Trump White House, in November's general election.

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DA and judge in Trump's Georgia trial win primary elections

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