Georgia

Judge McAfee’s upcoming election adds ‘new dimension’ to Trump Georgia case

Published

5 months ago

March 4, 2024

Judge McAfee’s upcoming election adds ‘new dimension’ to Trump Georgia case

Judge Scott McAfee’s requirement to run for reelection in Georgia could “add a whole new dimension” to Donald Trump’s election interference case in the state, a former U.S. attorney has said.

McAfee, a Superior Court judge in Fulton County, will rule in the case against the former president and 18 others—who are accused in a 41-count indictment of trying to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia—when it goes to trial.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges against him and has said the case is politically motivated because he is the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.

The case has been delayed thanks to a hearing that will determine whether Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney prosecuting Trump, should remain on the case after Michael Roman, a former Trump staffer and co-defendant, accused her in a court filing of having an affair with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor.

Judge Scott McAfee during final arguments in the Fani Willis disqualification hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 1. He must run for reelection this month.

Photo by ALEX SLITZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

He also alleged the pair benefited financially from taxpayers’ money, as Wade has earned more than $650,000 from the district attorney’s office since he began working on the case and has paid, the filing said, for vacations for the couple.

Roman’s attorneys have argued that the relationship between the district attorney and the special prosecutor is a conflict of interest, and that Willis should be removed from the case and the charges against Roman dropped.

Though Willis and Wade have admitted to having a personal relationship, they have denied a conflict of interest, saying the relationship did not begin until after Wade was appointed to the case. They have also denied the allegation of financial impropriety.

McAfee, who is presiding over the hearing, will decide whether to remove Willis from the case.

Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor, said in her legal blog Civil Discourse Sunday that McAfee’s role in Georgia may also attract interest.

McAfee was appointed to the bench in 2023 by Brian Kemp, Georgia’s Republican governor, to fill a vacancy and must run for election this year.

“Presumably, Judge McAfee will run for reelection, which may add a whole new dimension to the past few weeks of theatrics in the Fulton County case,” Vance wrote.

Newsweek called the Superior Court of Fulton County for comment. A member of staff said they would relay a message to McAfee.

McAfee was Georgia’s inspector general from 2021 to 2023. He also previously served as a senior assistant district attorney in Fulton County and as an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

His campaign website says: “Scott is running for election in 2024 so that he can continue serving our community by clearing the COVID backlog, giving everyone their fair day in court, and keeping our community safe.”

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Source link

Click to comment

Georgia

Jontavius Wyman Commits to Georgia

Published

17 mins ago

July 27, 2024

Press Room

Jontavius Wyman, a 2026 defensive back, has announced his commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been reeling in commitments on the trail and players are starting to stack up for the 2025 recruiting class. However, it’s never too early to start getting the next year’s class into shape and the Bulldogs just added a player to their 2026 recruiting class. Defensive back Jontavius Wyman has announced his commitment to Georgia.

Wyman out of Jonesboro High School in the state of Georgia is rated as the 154th-best player in the country, 12th-best defensive back and the 19th-best player in the state of Georgia for the 2026 class, according to 247 sports composite rankings. Wyman received an offer from Georgia earlier this year along with a long list of other power four programs. He now joins quarterback Jared Curtis as the only two commitments in the class.

Curtis committed to Georgia back in March of this year. He is rated as a five-star prospect, the eighth-best player in the country and the top-rated quarterback for the 2026 recruiting class. The Bulldogs still have a long way to go before the 2026 recruiting class is official, but they are off to a strong start with the early additions of Wyman and Curtis.

Other Georgia News:

Join the Community:

Follow Jonathan Williams on Twitter: @Dr_JWill

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDaily

Source link

Georgia

Motorcyclist back in Georgia, awake

Published

8 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Press Room

A former Paulding County deputy’s family had asked for help to get him back home after a motorcycle crash in Florida that nearly killed him. Thirty-seven-year-old Ryan Brannan is back in Georgia and is awake again.

Posted July 26, 2024 10:36pm EDT

Source link

Georgia

Georgia football star Rodarius Thomas being held without bail after arrest on family violence charges

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Georgia football star Rodarius Thomas being held without bail after arrest on family violence charges

Join Fox News for access to this content

You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Rodarius “Rara” Thomas will be away from the Georgia football team for the foreseeable future. The Bulldogs wide receiver was suspended indefinitely after he was booked into jail around 3:20 a.m. Friday, Athens-Clarke County jail records show.

Thomas was arrested on charges of cruelty to children and battery. He is being held without bail.

Thomas’ arrest marks the latest in a string of legal issues involving various members of the powerhouse college football team over the past several months.

This week’s arrest marks Thomas’ second in the past 18 months. University of Georgia Police arrested the wide receiver in January 2023 on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of family violence battery.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested on charges of cruelty to children and battery early Friday, July 26, 2024, in Athens, Ga., adding to the team’s recent legal woes. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Those charges were later dropped when Thomas entered a pretrial diversion program. Details about Friday’s arrest were not immediately available.

Georgia Athletic Association spokesperson Steven Drummond said the situation involving Thomas “is a pending legal matter. We will have no further comment at this point.”

TWO GEORGIA FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARRESTED ON BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS ON RECKLESS DRIVING CHARGES

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart spoke at Southeastern Conference media days July 16 about attempts to address repeated driving offenses by his players.

Georgia Bulldogs helmet sits on the bench

A Georgia Bulldogs helmet during the fourth quarter of a game against the Missouri Tigers at Sanford Stadium Nov. 4, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Smart said players have been suspended and fined through the collective that provides name, image and likeness (NIL) payments to the school’s athletes. Smart’s policy is to not make public announcements when players are suspended.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s right to go down to the town square and publicly shame kids,” Smart said at SEC media days earlier this month. “When that happens, they go through a lot. And there’s a lot of remorse from these young men who’ve made mistakes. But our job is to educate. Continue to grow these young men.”

A team official confirmed the suspension of Thomas.

A view of Sanford Stadium in a game against Georgia Tech

Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

The Bulldogs open the season in Atlanta Aug. 31 in a matchup with the Clemson Tigers.

Georgia players have been involved in 24 driving-related violations (DUI, reckless driving or speeding), The Atlanta-Journal Constitution has reported, including a crash that killed a player and a recruiting staffer in January 2023.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash on Jan. 15, 2023, just days after the Bulldogs won the national title game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Source link