The wheels of justice are grinding slowly in Donald Trump’s cases in Georgia, Florida and New York, which each faced delays this week.
Welcome back, Deadline: Legal Newsletter readers. The wheels of justice keep grinding slowly. After dramatic hearings that further delayed a Georgia trial, a judge said that Fani Willis and her office can stay on Donald Trump’s case — but only if her special prosecutor and former romantic partner Nathan Wade steps down. Meanwhile, Judge Aileen Cannon held an unnecessary hearing in Florida, and the New York case that actually looked like it was going to trial on time has caught the delay bug.
Judge Scott McAfee criticized Willis’ conduct, but he agreed that she can stay on the election interference case in Fulton County. The judge said Friday that the defense didn’t prove an actual conflict of interest stemming from her hiring of Wade. But he found an appearance of impropriety that would require that either Willis and her office step down — which would require reassignment to another office — or Wade withdraw. Wade resigned on Friday, so Willis and her office will stay on the case, absent any successful defense appeal of McAfee’s order.
In neighboring Florida, Cannon held a hearing on two issues that she could have just rejected outright.
