A Georgia judge has ruled that state lawmakers may subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of an investigation into whether she committed misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.
In his Dec. 23 order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram gave Willis until Jan. 13 to file a list of claimed privileges and objections to any subpoenas.
Willis intends to appeal the decision.
“We believe the ruling is wrong and will appeal,” said former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, who is representing Willis in the case, in an email to The Associated Press.
Earlier this month, an appeals court dismissed Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Trump and others, citing a “appearance of impropriety.” The panel also discussed Willis’ romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
“This is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings,” according to the judge.
At the time, Trump described the case as a “disgrace to justice.”
“It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump,” he told reporters. “They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips.”
In August, the Republican-led Senate committee issued subpoenas to Willis, requiring her to testify in September. She skipped a hearing that month where lawmakers expected to question her.
The committee was formed to investigate misconduct allegations made against Willis during her prosecution of Trump in connection with efforts to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Barnes, Willis’ attorney, argued that the subpoenas were too broad and unrelated to a legitimate legislative need, and that the Senate committee lacked the authority to subpoena her in the first place.
One issue raised is that the Georgia legislative session will end on January 13 when lawmakers are sworn in for their new term. Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal announced last week that he intends to file legislation to reestablish the committee at the start of the 2025 legislative session.
“The law is clear, and the ruling confirms what we knew all along,” Dolezal wrote in a text message Friday. “Judge Ingram rejected every argument Willis used to avoid testifying before the committee under oath. I look forward to D.A. Willis complying with the subpoena and providing documents and testimony to our committee.”
