A stunning legal defeat has further unraveled the Georgia racketeering case against President Donald Trump. A judge in Fulton County ruled that District Attorney Fani Willis is barred from even contesting the effort by Trump and his co-defendants to recover millions in legal fees.
The core of the dispute centers around $16.8 million in fees incurred by Trump and his allies while defending themselves against Willis’s now-collapsed prosecution. Trump himself is seeking over $6.2 million in reimbursement from the District Attorney’s office.
Judge Scott McAfee’s order is a significant win for Trump, who has consistently characterized Willis’s investigation as a politically motivated “witch hunt” fueled by “rabid partisan” zeal. The ruling stems directly from Willis’s earlier disqualification from the case.
The defendants are leveraging a recently enacted Georgia law – passed in 2025 – designed to allow reimbursement of legal fees when a prosecutor is deemed unfit to continue a case. This law provides a pathway to recoup costs when a prosecution falters due to prosecutorial misconduct or conflict of interest.
Willis’s legal team argued vehemently that she deserved a voice in determining whether her budget should be tapped to cover the requested fees, claiming a denial of due process. They insisted she needed the opportunity to challenge the “reasonableness” of the claimed expenses.
However, McAfee rejected this argument. He determined that because Willis was already disqualified from the prosecution itself, she had no standing to participate in the financial fallout. Her complete removal from the case extends to all related proceedings.
Trump’s lead attorney, Steve Sadow, hailed the decision as a vindication. He stated McAfee “properly denied DA Willis’ motion to intervene,” emphasizing that her disqualification definitively prevents her and her office from further involvement in the dismissed case.
The original case, brought by Willis in August 2023, alleged a vast conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. It involved 18 co-defendants, but steadily lost momentum through a series of plea deals and dismissed charges.
The fatal blow came earlier this year when the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis due to an undisclosed romantic relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. This conflict of interest fundamentally undermined the integrity of the prosecution.
With Willis removed, the case was handed to the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys' Council. Its director, Peter Skandalakis, ultimately moved to dismiss the charges, a request granted by McAfee. Skandalakis reasoned that continuing the case for another five to ten years would not serve the interests of Georgia’s citizens.
The dismissal effectively ends a years-long legal battle that captivated the nation and exposed deep divisions within the Georgia legal system. The fight over legal fees now represents the final chapter in this contentious saga.
