Georgia prosecutors are seeking a 90-day extension to appoint new attorneys in the election interference case involving President Donald Trump and 14 co-defendants.
After permanently deciding not to pursue the case last month, the State Bar Council of Georgia (PACGA) is stepping in to replace Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
On Friday, Council Executive Director Pete Skandalakis requested the extension to appoint a District Attorney Pro Tempore. Given the large amount of case documentation, PACGA expects it won’t receive the file for about four weeks.
Skandalakis is asking the court to allow up to 90 days after receiving the full case file for the appointment. He mentioned that the council is currently handling 21 pending bookings, having processed 448 competitive referrals statewide this year.
He stated in the motion, “Due to the complexity of this case and the extensive personnel and resources required to handle cases of this nature, it will take time to find a District Attorney pro tempore willing to accept this prosecution.”
The court filing also indicated that without the case file, it’s challenging for potential signatories to address questions from those interested in taking on the prosecutor role, especially regarding significant appearances of impropriety.
This request comes shortly after a Fulton County judge noted that he might dismiss the case for “lack of prosecution” unless a replacement prosecutor is appointed or an extension requested within 14 days.
Early motions and hearings primarily focused on Trump himself, and the disqualification extended not just to Trump’s individual charges but to the entire case under the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The new motion outlines all 15 defendants, which include Trump, his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, constitutional law expert John Eastman, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Notably, four defendants have already pleaded guilty in the matter.
In December, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that Willis and her office could no longer prosecute the case due to “appearances of impropriety” tied to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Willis appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court in January, but the court declined to take the case last month with a 4-3 ruling. One judge did not participate, and another was disqualified.
Skandalakis mentioned last month that once a new prosecutor is appointed, the next steps will need to be determined. The newly appointed individual could either follow Willis’s approach, pursue new charges, or dismiss the case entirely. The case’s complexity and the resources needed make it challenging to find willing prosecutors.
Even if a new prosecutor were to attempt to continue down Willis’s path, it seems rather unlikely that Trump would face indictment, especially with him being a sitting president now.
Willis’s indictment accused Trump of trying to overturn the 2020 vote in Georgia, orchestrating “fake electors,” and pressuring election workers.
In August 2023, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others, with Trump surrendering at the Fulton County Jail on August 24.
It later emerged that there had been a romantic relationship between Willis and Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed to lead the case. Although they claimed the relationship didn’t influence the prosecution, Wade ultimately resigned amid ongoing controversy, leading to an appeals court disqualifying Willis and her office due to concerns over appearances of impropriety.
