What was the basis for the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualifying Fani Willis from the Trump case?

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The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on December 19, 2024, based on an appearance of impropriety created by her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, whom she had hired as a special prosecutor to lead the Trump election interference case. The court found that this relationship raised questions about whether Willis stood to benefit financially from the prosecution, since Wade was paid substantial fees for his work on the case. While an earlier trial court ruling by Judge Scott McAfee had found that Wade resigning would cure the problem, the appeals court disagreed. The appeals court ruled that disqualification was mandated because the appearance of impropriety existed during the critical pretrial period when Willis was making decisions about who to prosecute and what charges to bring. The court stated that no other remedy would suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of the proceedings.

What was the basis for the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualifying Fani Willis from the Trump case?

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