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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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A petition to get Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified from former President Donald Trump's election interference case has received over 60,000 signatures.
Willis is prosecuting Trump and 18 others who have been accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. The Republican lost the state by some 12,000 votes.
But in the last few months, attention has turned away from Trump to Willis, who found herself embroiled in a scandal pertaining to a romantic relationship she had with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the case. It was argued this relationship was improper and should disqualify Willis from continuing to lead the case. She was allowed to remain on the condition that Wade was removed from the case and he duly resigned, but the decision to keep Willis on the case is being appealed.
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The petition is from American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a conservative, Christian-based legal organization. Its chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, is a well-known conservative figure who previously served on Trump's legal team. He was the lead outside counsel for Trump's first impeachment.
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"Now the case is being appealed, and we're taking action," the petition reads. "Our senior legal team—including our own former GA prosecutor—is filing a critical amicus brief urging the Georgia Court of Appeals to hear this vital case and disqualify DA Willis.
"This case isn't just about President Trump. This is about ending the two-tiered system of justice and defeating political prosecutions. Georgia is Ground Zero in this fight," the petition continues. "We're filing on behalf of every American because this impacts you, your vote, and our entire constitutional system of justice."
Newsweek contacted Willis by email to comment on this story.
Speaking to Newsweek, Matthew Mangino, a former district attorney in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, said: "A petition with signatures will have no bearing on the appeal. However, an amicus brief may be submitted to the court when a group has an interest in the case, even though they are not directly a party. The phrase 'amicus brief' or 'friend of the court' brief provides an opportunity to offer outside legal analysis that can be helpful to the court.
"This group appears to be overtly political, but in Georgia, there is no prior permission needed to file an amicus brief as long as the filer complies with the rules of procedure"
The appeals court will now determine whether to review Judge Scott McAfee's ruling about Willis remaining on the case.
Meanwhile, Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has pleaded not guilty to all 10 charges against him and has repeatedly said the case is part of a political witch hunt against him. Last month, his attorney argued that the case should be dismissed on First Amendment grounds in a court hearing with Judge Scott McAfee, who last month dismissed six charges in the case, ruling that the prosecutors did not provide enough details about the alleged crimes.
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