Trump's Georgia Case Will Stay Frozen Until After Election

In yet another setback for prosecutors going after Donald Trump, a key hearing connected to the Georgia election interference case has been moved to after the election. A state appeals court that agreed in May to hear an appeal of a ruling allowing Fulton County DA Fani Willis to stay on the case has scheduled oral arguments for Dec. 5, a month after Election Day, ABC News reports.

Nathan Wade, a prosecutor who was Willis' romantic partner, resigned from the case after a judge's order in March; Trump and his co-defendants argue the move wasn't enough to remove the "appearance of impropriety," the Washington Post reports. The Georgia Court of Appeals initially agreed to hear arguments in the case on Oct. 4, but it pushed the date back because of a scheduling conflict, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The sprawling racketeering case against Trump and 14 allies accused of interfering in the 2020 election has been frozen while the appeal is underway, and there is now no chance of it resuming until after the election—or, if Trump wins, until 2029, if ever. The New Republic notes that the recent Supreme Court ruling granting presidents immunity from prosecution for "official acts" also stated that sitting presidents can't be prosecuted, meaning all criminal cases against Trump will be halted if he wins a second term. (More Georgia indictment stories.)