Appeal Hearing in Trump’s Georgia Case Moved to After the Election

It wasn’t that long ago that it seemed like Donald Trump would finally face consequences for his actions conducted both in and out of office. He paid a $92 million bond while appealing a guilty verdict in a defamation case in April, then the following month posted a $175 million bond while appealing a civil fraud lawsuit. The month after that, in May, he endured his first criminal trial, which ended with the former president being found guilty of 34 felony counts.

Things have since seemed to turn around for the Republican nominee. The Supreme Court essentially ruled that presidents are above the law while in office, throwing a wrench into the legal action against him. Then, in the days following the failed assassination attempt against him on Saturday, Trump received welcome news from Florida when Judge Aileen Cannon threw out the Justice Department’s classified documents case against him. The good news didn’t stop there: On Tuesday, an appeal hearing for his racketeering and election fraud case in Georgia was moved until after the November election.

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The hearing follows a two-year investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, which indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on racketeering, conspiracy and election fraud charges in a case that alleges he and the co-defendants sought to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, has pushed to remove Fulton County DA Fani Willis from the case after it was discovered she had a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

In March, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee said although he did not believe Willis’ relationship with Wade amounted to any conflict of interest, he said it created an “appearance of impropriety” for the prosecution and ruled that either Willis or Wade must step down. Wade left, allowing Willis to remain on the case. McAfee also allowed Trump to appeal Willis’ involvement in the case, which he of course did. Arguments were originally set to Oct. 4, but on Tuesday, they were moved to Dec. 5.

The Fulton County case is just one of four criminal cases involving Trump.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump over his actions that led up to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and indicted Trump on charges related to the effort to overturn the election results. Smith is also appealing Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the classified documents case in Florida.

In New York in May, Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11 but was rescheduled to at least Sept. 18 after Judge Juan Merchan decided he would weigh the possible impact of the immunity case, which was decided a day before Judge Merchan rescheduled sentencing.

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