A Georgia appeals court has put former President Donald Trump’s election interference lawsuit in the state on hold while it considers his challenge to disbar Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
In a brief order, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that Willis’ lawsuit against the presumptive Republican presidential candidate and eight co-defendants in Fulton County Superior Court must be “stayed” pending the outcome of the appeal.
The indefinite injunction applies to the 77-year-old former president, former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, former Georgia Republican Party chairman David Schafer, attorney Robert Chealey, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Coffee County Republican Party chair Kathleen Latham, former Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Justice Department official Geoffrey Clark and former Black Voices for Trump executive director Harrison Floyd.
It is unclear whether the suspension applies to the six defendants who did not join Willis’ disbarment motion.
“The Georgia Court of Appeals has properly stayed all trial court litigation against President Trump pending a ruling on our interlocutory appeal,” Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement. “We argue that this lawsuit should be dismissed and that Fulton County District Attorney Willis should be disbarred for misconduct.”
Trump and eight co-defendants in March asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hear arguments alleging prosecutorial misconduct related to Willis’s relationship with former special counsel Nathan Wade.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee previously ruled that the embattled district attorney could continue to work on the case as long as her ex-boyfriend resigned, but he has since resigned.
Trump’s appeal seeks to overturn McAfee’s decision before the trial begins.
The defense argues Willis’ relationship with Wade amounted to a conflict of interest and that prosecutors misused public funds by profiting from her boyfriend’s earnings while taking her on lavish vacations.
Earlier this week, the Georgia Court of Appeals tentatively set arguments for Willis’ removal from office for Oct. 4.
The latest ruling could force further delays in the Fulton County case, which was originally scheduled to start in August before Willis and Wade’s romantic relationship became public.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
Trump faces 13 felony charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty.
