Atlanta Back in the Spotlight as New Prosecutor Takes Over Trump Election Case After Willis Removal

ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta is once again at the center of national attention as the state’s top prosecutorial oversight agency has assumed control of the long-running 2020 election-interference case—marking yet another dramatic turn in a saga that has repeatedly pulled Fulton County’s justice system into the national political arena.

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, confirmed late Thursday that he will personally take over the case after multiple prosecutors across the state declined to step in. His appointment met a firm deadline set by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who ordered that a new prosecutor be named after District Attorney Fani Willis and her entire office were disqualified due to an ethics controversy.

The disqualification followed revelations that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case. Defense lawyers argued that the relationship created an appearance of impropriety and financial conflict. Georgia’s appellate courts ultimately agreed, and when the state Supreme Court declined to intervene, Willis was formally removed from the high-profile prosecution.

Skandalakis now takes control of a sprawling investigative record that includes more than one hundred boxes of evidence and an eight-terabyte hard drive of interviews, documents, and digital files. He will determine whether to continue the case, narrow it, or drop some or all of the remaining prosecutions. While legal analysts acknowledge that prosecuting a sitting president may become legally challenging, other defendants—including high-ranking former officials—still face active charges.

This transition marks a pivotal moment not only for the case but for the public reputation of Atlanta’s judiciary. For years, conservatives across metro Atlanta have raised concerns that Fulton County’s justice system suffers from politicization and inconsistent standards. The Willis-Wade scandal, in their eyes, only reinforced suspicions that Republican defendants may be treated differently in the courts, particularly in cases with national implications.

But the significance of Fulton County extends well beyond the courtroom. As the population and economic engine of Georgia, the county is essential to winning statewide elections. Republicans may not carry Fulton County, but they rely heavily on the tens of thousands of votes they do secure here—and across the broader Atlanta metropolitan region—to remain competitive in gubernatorial, senatorial, and presidential races. Without those margins from Buckhead, Sandy Springs, North Fulton, and parts of Southeast Atlanta, statewide Republican victories would be mathematically impossible.

That reality heightens concerns about fairness and impartiality within the county’s judiciary. The Republican Party of Georgia is headquartered in Fulton County, and during major election cycles it is not uncommon for campaigns, party committees, and voter-protection teams to seek emergency relief from Fulton County courts—whether to keep polling locations open, address equipment failures, or challenge irregularities. In tight races, a single court order issued late at night can shape turnout, ballot acceptance, and ultimately the election outcome.

For conservatives in Atlanta, this makes judicial neutrality not just a legal matter but an electoral one. They argue that Republican voters—already a minority within Fulton County—must be confident that they will receive a fair hearing when issues arise. They also stress that candidates cannot afford to doubt the impartiality of a court system that often becomes the first and last stop for election-related disputes on Election Day.

With Skandalakis now at the helm of the state’s most closely watched prosecution, metro Atlanta once again finds itself under a national microscope. Whether the next phase of this case reinforces trust or deepens division will shape not only the future of the prosecution but the public’s faith in the integrity of Georgia’s legal system.

For a region that already decides presidential elections, swings razor-thin statewide races, and hosts the headquarters of the state GOP, the credibility of Fulton County’s justice institutions matters more than ever. And as this case moves forward—or doesn’t—the nation will be watching Atlanta closely to see whether the courts here are driven by the law or by politics.