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Fani Willis

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Fani Willis
Willis in 2023
District Attorney of Fulton County
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byPaul Howard Jr.
Judge of the South Fulton, Georgia Municipal Court
In office
2019–2020
Preceded byTiffany Sellers
Succeeded byMichael L. Sheridan
Personal details
Born (1971-10-27) October 27, 1971 (age 53)[1][2]
Inglewood, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Fred Willis
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 2005)​
Children2
EducationHoward University (BA)
Emory University (JD)

Fani Taifa Willis[3] (née Floyd; /fɑːniː/, FAH-nee;[3] born October 27, 1971)[1][2] is an American attorney. She is the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, which contains most of Atlanta, serving since 2021.[4] She is the first woman to hold the office.[5] Willis investigated the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, which resulted in indictments against Donald Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators on charges of racketeering and other crimes.

Early life and education

Willis was born in Inglewood, California. Her father, John C. Floyd III, was a founder of a faction of the Black Panthers but grew disillusioned by the movement's infighting.[6] When Willis was in the first grade, her family moved to Washington, D.C., where her father practiced law as a criminal defense attorney. Her parents divorced and her mother eventually moved back to California. Willis mostly stayed with her father.[1]

She graduated from Regina High School, in Maryland,[7] an all-girls Catholic High School that closed in 1989.[8] Willis studied political science at Howard University, graduating cum laude in 1993, then moved to Atlanta[1] to attend Emory University School of Law, graduating in 1996 with a Juris Doctor.[5]

Early career

Willis' first government job was as a solicitor, prosecuting misdemeanors and city ordinance violations.[9] She spent 16 years as a prosecutor in the Fulton County district attorney's office. Her most prominent case was her prosecution of the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. Willis, an assistant district attorney at the time, served as lead prosecutor in the 2014 to 2015 trial of twelve educators accused of correcting answers entered by students to inflate the scores of state administered standardized tests. Eleven of the twelve were convicted of racketeering under Georgia's RICO statute in April 2015.[10]

In 2018, she went into private practice.[11] That year, she ran for a seat on the Fulton County Superior Court, and lost.[12] In 2019, Willis became Chief Municipal Judge for South Fulton, Georgia.[13]

District attorney of Fulton County

In 2020, Willis was elected district attorney for Fulton County, defeating Paul Howard Jr., a six-term incumbent and her former boss.[14][15] In this role she is known for successfully using Georgia's RICO statute to prosecute non-mobsters,[16] and, as of 2023, is using the same statute to prosecute former president Donald Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators.[17]

In 2022, an employee in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office alleged that Willis fired her for uncovering plans to misuse federal grant funding.[18] In 2024, the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Willis regarding the former employee's whistleblower complaint after a taped conversation of the employee discussing the alleged misuse of federal funds with Willis was released publicly.[19][20] The committee gave Willis a deadline of February 23.[21] Willis said that the employee was "terminated for cause" and that the $488,000 in federal grant funding was utilized appropriately.[22]

2020 election influence investigation

Main articles: 2020 Georgia election investigation and Georgia election racketeering prosecution
Williams (left) and Willis sitting on a church pew
U.S. Representative Nikema Williams (left) and Willis in February 2024

On February 10, 2021, Willis launched a criminal investigation into Donald Trump's attempts to influence Georgia election officials—including the governor, the attorney general, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger via a telephone call—to "find" enough votes to override Joe Biden's win in that state and thus undo Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.[23][24][25] In January 2022, she requested a special grand jury to consider charges of election interference by Trump and his allies.[26][27] In May, a 26-member special grand jury was given investigative authority and subpoena power and tasked with submitting a report to the judge and Willis on whether a crime was committed.[28]

Willis sent target letters to people being investigated related to the fake electors plot. These include two Republican officials—State Senator Brandon Beach and David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party[29]—and the 16 people who falsely presented themselves as electors.[30] She also sent a target letter to State Senator Burt Jones, but then a judge ruled she could not target Jones due to a conflict of interest which was created by Willis hosting a fundraiser for the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.[31]

After hearing from 75 witnesses—including former US Senator Kelly Loeffler, former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone,[32] and possibly Sidney Powell[33]—the special grand jury completed its work and was dissolved on January 9, 2023. On February 16, following a judge's order, parts of the report were released.[34]

Willis's office indicted Trump and 18 others on 41 charges on August 14, 2023, including 13 charges against Trump.[35] In 2024, Judge Scott McAfee quashed 6 charges, including 3 against Trump, while giving prosecutors the option to refile these charges.[36][37]

In January 2024, a defendant in the racketeering case alleged that Willis and Nathan Wade—the lawyer whom Willis appointed in November 2021 to lead the prosecution—had had an improper romantic relationship. According to the filing, the relationship began before Wade's hiring and created a conflict of interest. Willis and Wade acknowledged that they had had a personal relationship, but denied any wrongdoing.[38][39] A hearing under McAfee was convened to decide whether to remove Willis from the racketeering case.[40]

In March 2024, McAfee ruled that either Willis (along with her office) or Wade must leave the case, because their relationship brought about a "significant appearance of impropriety" that impacted the structure of the prosecution.[41][42] McAfee criticized Willis's actions in the case and the hearing, but did not find a conflict of interest under Georgia law.[41][43][44][45] Wade subsequently resigned from his role as lead prosecutor.[46]

Atlanta gang indictments

In May 2022, Willis' office indicted Young Thug for 56 counts of gang-related crimes under Georgia's RICO statute and felony charges for possession of illicit firearms and drugs that were allegedly discovered after a search warrant was executed. The rapper has been held in Cobb County jail since his arrest.[47][48] The trial began on November 27, 2023.[49]

Personal life

On the day she took the Georgia bar exam, Willis met Fred Willis, who was working an extra job as a videographer. They married in 1996 and have two daughters.[13] They divorced in 2005.[13]

Willis said that she was in a relationship with Nathan Wade until 2023.[50]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Binelli, Mark (February 2, 2023). "Fani Willis Took On Atlanta's Gangs. Now She May Be Coming For Trump". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Happy Birthday Fani T. Willis!". Fani Willis for DA. October 27, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Rose, Ashtin (January 20, 2021). "You Can Call Her Madam DA; Fani Willis on Making History As Fulton County's First Woman District Attorney". South Atlanta Magazine. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Murphy, Patricia; Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia (February 12, 2021). "The Jolt: Fani Willis takes center stage in the Trump show". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Fani T. Willis, Fulton County District Attorney". Fulton County Government. 2022. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  6. ^ McWhirter, Cameron; Wolfe, Jan (July 16, 2023). "Fani Willis: The No-Nonsense Georgia Prosecutor on a Collision Course With Donald Trump". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  7. ^ "Your ballot explained".
  8. ^ "Catholic High School Celebrating 50 Years of Accomplishments". October 4, 1996.
  9. ^ Booth, Michael. "Balancing the Scales of Justice". South Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Corson, Pete. "The APS cheating trial sentences". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Umontuen, Itoro (August 12, 2020). "Fani Willis will become the next Fulton County DA, beating six-term incumbent Paul Howard". The Atlanta Voice. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Catts, Everett (April 16, 2020). "Howard, Smith and Willis warring for Fulton's district attorney post". The Neighbor. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Ross, Janell (September 28, 2021). "Atlanta's First Black Female District Attorney Is at the Center of America's Converging Crises". Time. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Boone, Christian (August 14, 2020). "After historic victory, Fani Willis plans transformation of Fulton DA's office". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  15. ^ McDonald, R. Robin (August 11, 2020). "Fani Willis Sweeps Paul Howard to Take Over as Fulton County DA". Law.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  16. ^ Fausset, Richard (September 29, 2014). "Trial Opens in Atlanta School Cheating Scandal (Published 2014)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Here's who else was charged in Georgia (other than Trump)". Washington Post. August 15, 2023. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  18. ^ "Whistleblower lawsuit against Fulton DA claims misuse of funds". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 31, 2022.
  19. ^ "U.S. House committee subpoenas Fani Willis over federal grant funds". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "Jordan threatens Fani Willis with contempt over subpoena on federal grants". The Hill. March 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Boboltz, Sara (February 2, 2024). "House GOP Subpoenas Fani Willis, Georgia Prosecutor Who Charged Trump". HuffPost. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "House GOP Subpoenas Fulton County DA Fani Willis Amid Trump Criminal Case". Forbes. February 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Hakim, Danny; Fausset, Richard (February 13, 2021). "In Georgia, a New District Attorney Starts Circling Trump and His Allies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  24. ^ Morris, Jason; Cole, Devan (February 10, 2021). "Prosecutors in Georgia open criminal investigation into Trump's attempt to influence election results". CNN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  25. ^ Fausset, Richard; Hakim, Danny (February 10, 2021). "Georgia Prosecutors Open Criminal Inquiry Into Trump's Efforts to Subvert Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  26. ^ Hakim, Danny; Fausset, Richard (November 6, 2021). "Georgia Grand Jury Looms in Trump Inquiry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  27. ^ Hallerman, Tamar (January 20, 2022). "Fulton DA requests special grand jury for Trump probe". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  28. ^ Murray, Sara; Morris, Jason (May 2, 2022). "Grand jury selected in Fulton County probe of Trump election interference in Georgia". CNN. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  29. ^ Fausset, Richard; Hakim, Danny (July 15, 2022). "Prosecutor Warns Georgia Officials They May Face Charges in Trump Inquiry: The investigation could prove to be one of the most perilous legal problems facing the former president and his allies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  30. ^ Visser, Nick (July 20, 2022). "Fake Electors Are Now 'Targets' In Georgia Probe Of Trump's Effort To Overturn 2020 Vote". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  31. ^ Mangan, Dan (July 25, 2022). "Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis disqualified from investigating Trump 'fake elector' in criminal probe". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  32. ^ Murray, Sara; Cohen, Zachary; Perez, Evan (October 20, 2022). "First on CNN: Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, former US Sen. Kelly Loeffler testify to grand jury in Georgia investigating 2020 election interference | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  33. ^ "Trump election probe in Georgia cites voting system breach". Associated Press. August 26, 2022. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  34. ^ Mangan, Dan; Breuninger, Kevin (February 16, 2023). "Georgia grand jury recommends perjury indictments in Trump election meddling probe". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  35. ^ "Trump Indicted in Georgia: Prosecutors Accuse Trump of 'Criminal Enterprise' to Overturn Election". The New York Times. August 14, 2023. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  36. ^ "Judge Quashes Six Charges in Georgia Election Case Against Trump". The New York Times. March 13, 2024.
  37. ^ "Judge in Georgia election interference case quashes some charges against Trump". NPR. March 13, 2024.
  38. ^ Hallerman, Tamar; Rankin, Bill (February 2, 2024). "Fulton DA Fani Willis says relationship with Trump prosecutor shouldn't disqualify her". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  39. ^ Cohen, Zachary; Morris, Jason; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Lybrand, Holmes (February 2, 2024). "Fulton County DA acknowledges personal relationship with lead prosecutor on Trump case, but says it doesn't disqualify her". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  40. ^ "Judge indicates he will rule within next 2 weeks on bid to remove Fani Willis from Trump case". Associated Press. March 1, 2024.
  41. ^ a b Quinn, Melissa; Eggleston, Jared (March 15, 2024). "Fani Willis and her office can stay on Trump Georgia 2020 election case if Nathan Wade steps aside, judge rules". CBS News. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  42. ^ Meyer, Josh (March 15, 2024). "DA Fani Willis can stay on Georgia Trump case - if she fires special prosecutor, judge says". USA Today. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  43. ^ Alexander, Blayne; Gregorian, Dareh; Gile, Charlie (March 15, 2024). "Fulton County DA Fani Willis case against Trump can continue if she or special prosecutor Wade remove themselves, judge rules". NBC News. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  44. ^ "Judge Says Fani Willis Can Stay on Georgia Trump Case—if Deputy Steps Asides". The Wall Street Journal. March 15, 2024.
  45. ^ "Takeaways from the scathing ruling that allows DA Fani Willis to remain on the Trump election subversion case". CNN. March 15, 2024.
  46. ^ "Lead prosecutor in Georgia election case resigns following judge's decision allowing DA Fani Willis to stay on". ABC News. March 15, 2024.
  47. ^ Staten, Adam (May 18, 2022). "Young Thug's 'Torturous' Jail Condition Complaints Dismissed by Officials". Newsweek. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  48. ^ Brown, Preezy (April 4, 2023). "Young Thug Leaves Prison To Attend His Sister's Funeral". Vibe. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  49. ^ Rubin, Jordan (November 28, 2023). "Young Thug trial kicks off with messy opening statement from Fani Willis' office". MSNBC.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  50. ^ Wickert, David (February 23, 2024). "Judge sets March 1 hearing on Willis disqualification". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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