The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia has issued a certificate of immediate review allowing the former president and his co-defendants to appeal the decision to allow Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case against them.
Judge Scott McAfee’s latest order grants the defence their request to lodge an appeal but does not automatically stay trial court proceedings which will continue regardless of whether the Georgia Court of Appeals takes up their case.
Injured lone hiker lifted to safety by helicopter from California’s Napa County
Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s lawyers have asked the US Supreme Court to grant their client “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for acts carried out while serving as president as part of their bid to get the federal election interference case against him dismissed.
Ahead of oral arguments on the question being heard on 25 April, the Republican candidate’s lawyers argued: “The court should restore the tradition and neutralise one of the greatest threats to the president’s separate power, a bedrock of our republic, in our nation’s history.
“The court should uphold the president’s immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts.”
Adult film star Stormy Daniels has claimed that she took Donald Trump’s hush money deal just before the 2016 election so that the former president “couldn’t have me killed”.
Ms Daniels was allegedly paid for her silence over an alleged affair she claims she had with Mr Trump at Lake Tahoe in 2006. r Trump has continually denied that the affair took place.
Ms Daniels spoke out about the deal – a deal which is now at the centre of Mr Trump’s criminal case in New York – in the new documentary Stormy now airing on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.
Donald Trump has responded to the scandal surrounding an edited picture shared by the Princess of Wales. The picture of Kate and her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, was released on Mother’s Day but then pulled by news agencies after apparent errors in the image were spotted. Initially, Buckingham Palace refused to comment, but the royal then apologised and admitted to editing what was the first official picture of her since she underwent abdominal surgery in January. During an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News, Mr Trump was asked about the incident. “That shouldn’t be a big deal… it’s a very minor doctoring,” he said, adding it is a “rough period” for the royal family.
Now that Judge Scott McAfee has granted Donald Trump and his co-defendants the ability to appeal his ruling on the disqualification of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, here’s what happens next, via law professor Anthony Kreis.https://d-16950458424074203257.ampproject.net/2403072016000/frame.html
He explains on X: “The application for an interlocutory appeal will be randomly assigned to a judge. From there it will be assigned to a staff attorney who will review the application and any supporting materials. That attorney will provide a memo providing a recommendation to the judge on whether the appeal should be granted or denied. The court has 45 days to act, so decisions are quick.
“Court of Appeals Rule 30(a) provides factors that favor review. The most important one here will be whether there is a need to establish clear precedent to refine and guide the trial court. Defendants will have to argue that precedent is insufficient *and* this is a good vehicle.https://d-16950458424074203257.ampproject.net/2403072016000/frame.html
“The other key is this: is there *reversible error*? Even if there might be a need for some clarification around the law, the COA may not necessarily see the need to step in and reverse Judge McAfee if they think he essentially got it right. That may be the biggest hurdle for Ds.
“Appeals are heard by a three-judge panel. Only one judge on a panel needs to agree to hear the appeal. All three are thus required to agree to deny it.
