Former President Donald Trump's legal team asked Georgia's highest court to shut down a criminal investigation into his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, going over the head of a trial court judge who has yet to rule on the same demand made four months ago, the Wall Street Journal reports. The petition seeks to block Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from further investigating Trump and to prohibit her from using a report from an investigative grand jury that recommended unknown individuals face criminal charges. “A regular Fulton County grand jury could return an indictment any day that will have been based on a report and predicate investigative process that were wholly without merit,” Trump’s team wrote. Willis, the elected district attorney for Georgia’s Fulton County, has been investigating alleged election interference by Trump and his allies for about two years.
The prosecutor on a collision course with the former president and current candidate for reelection has carved out a reputation in Georgia legal circles as a no-nonsense prosecutor and workaholic who relishes taking on complex cases, the Journal reports. Trump has lashed out at Willis, 51 years old, last year labeling her a “young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat ‘Prosecutor’ from Georgia.” Trump and his supporters have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and attacked her investigation as partisan. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Washington, D.C., by a father who evolved from Black Panther activist to prominent criminal defense lawyer, Willis developed a reputation for meticulous preparation. “She is diligent about preparation so that when she does speak, she does so with authority,” said Gwen Keyes Fleming, a Washington lawyer and former district attorney in neighboring DeKalb County who considers herself a mentor to Willis. Willis quickly began specializing in serious, complex crimes and by her estimation has handled more than 100 murders. Her biggest case while working for Howard involved helping lead the team that won multiple convictions in a notorious cheating scandal involving Atlanta Public Schools teachers and staff. That case drew angry protests from parents and other community groups for bringing cases against Black teachers and school staff (Willis herself is Black). Willis took office as the elected DA just as news broke of a Jan. 2, 2021, recording of Trump calling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, pressing him to “find” votes to overturn Trump’s loss. Willis immediately launched an investigation.