Four State Cases Against Donald Trump and His Allies Hanging By Thread Due to Canceled Oral Arguments and Judge's Recusal
Nov. 20 2024, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Canceled arguments and a judge's recusal have thrown the fate of four state cases against Donald Trump and his allies into doubt.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that recent complications in election interference cases against the president-elect and his allies in Georgia and Arizona have fueled rumors that the prosecutions may be weaker following his election win.
Although Trump is not expected to be tried while in office, many of his former aides and allies are still facing prosecution in at least four states.
High-profile Trump associates, such as Rudy Giuliani, his former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, the ex-White House chief of staff, are facing charges in both Georgia and Arizona.
Notably, Georgia is the only state where Trump has been indicted.
This week, the Georgia Court of Appeals unexpectedly canceled oral arguments on whether Fani T. Willis – the Fulton County district attorney leading the case – should be disqualified.
A lower court had previously rejected the defense’s bid to remove Willis after it was revealed she had a romantic relationship with an outside attorney hired by her office to handle the Trump prosecution.
The oral arguments were originally scheduled for December 5.
On Tuesday, the appeals court clerk said the cancellation is unlikely to impact the mid-March deadline for the court's ruling on the disqualification issue.
Although the judges have not disclosed the reason for canceling the oral arguments, the clerk hinted that it could mean the judges plan to make their decision based on the legal briefs provided by the defense attorneys.
Christina Smith, the clerk of the Court of Appeals, said in an interview: "The information we got is that everybody wanted to speak. You have 60 minutes of argument and most of the eight lawyers wanted to argue. It would have been a lot of transitioning."
The Georgia development follows a move last week in Arizona, where Judge Bruce Cohen decided to recuse himself.
Defendants in that case pushed for Cohen’s disqualification after it was revealed he sent an email to fellow judges saying his "blood boiled" over Trump reposting a crude joke about Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, and expressing outrage over offensive remarks made by Trump supporters about Harris.
The recusal of the Arizona judge will likely delay decisions on motions filed by the defendants to dismiss the charges.
A hearing is now set for Thursday with a new judge.
State prosecutors in Michigan and Wisconsin are also pursuing cases related to Trump and his allies' attempts to retain power after his 2020 election loss.
A similar case in Nevada was dismissed earlier this year but is currently being appealed by the state attorney general's office.
Legal experts anticipate the courts will protect Trump from prosecution over the next four years.
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