Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis’ career has largely been shaped by two historic cases: her prosecution of rapper Young Thug and that of President Donald Trump. As a Black woman– and the first woman to ever serve in her position– Willis faced scrutiny and controversy throughout both trials. Now, we’re diving deep into her rise and ultimately her unsuccessful attempt to bring home big wins for her city.
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The Georgia Supreme Court has officially denied DA Willis’ appeal of her removal from Trump’s election interference case, ending a nearly three-year saga involving the president. And in order to fully understand how she got to this point, you have to start to the beginning…
Who Is Fani Willis?
Fani Willis made history as the first woman and first Black woman to serve as district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia – the county seat and location of the state capital, Atlanta. This HBCU alumna has been a prominent prosecutor in Georgia since 2021, but it was over the subsequent two years that the most significant indictments of her career propelled her onto the world stage.
March ’22 – Indictment of Young Thug and YSL
The hip-hop world was shocked when news broke of the arrest of Atlanta rapper Young Thug and 27 others– including rapper Gunna. They each faced charges in connection with a 56-count indictment, as we previously reported. We didn’t know it at the time, but the YSL trial would become the longest in the state’s history, and it was nothing short of unexpected and often hilarious.
Aug. ’23 – Indicting the President
In 2023, Willis moved to indict President Trump for his alleged role in the 2020 presidential election interference scandal. The 98-page indictment accused Trump of orchestrating a conspiracy to undermine the election results in the state. At the time, the president had already been accused of interfering with elections in several states.
Tackling 2 RICOs
Willis’ plan with both Trump and Young Thug was to go big or go home, which meant indicting both leaders on RICO charges. RICO– the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act— was established in the 1970s to go after organized crime. At the federal and state level, a RICO conviction could mean an automatic life sentence. In Trump’s case, Willis alleged that Trump and 18 others worked together to illegally achieve the election results they wanted. Thug was accused of leading a street gang of at least 30 other people. Given both high-profile cases, all eyes were on the district attorney to deliver. Unfortunately for Willis, things were much more complicated.
Black America Rallies Behind Willis
To say Black America was in Willis’ corner would be a complete understatement. There she was– a badass DA bold enough to take down a well-known music collective and street gang while coming for the president of the United States. With the publicity coming in, Willis had the world rooting for her on both fronts. Her accomplishments led to her addition to The Root 100’s 2023 honorees, but things quickly took a turn.
March ’24 – Fani Willis’ Personal Life on Trial
Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade set off a chain of events that many argue led to her demise. Wade, who was a special lawyer in the election case, was hired by Willis in 2021, as we previously reported. He was forced to withdraw from the case in March 2024 after news of his romantic relationship with Willis was exposed. The judge in the case, Scott F. McAfee, acknowledged Willis’ “lapse in judgment” but said the case could continue as long as Wade resigned. In response, Trump’s legal team set off a flurry of appeals.
Conspiracy to End Fani Willis
After Willis’ personal life was called into question, many theorized this was a deliberate attempt by Trump and his allies to discredit and disqualify Willis from the case. With the focus now on Willis and not Trump– the person actually on trial– folks like rapper Piles and others said she was being set up.
“Georgia Republicans Has Put Together A Hit Campaign To Get Fani Willis Off This Case,” the rapper wrote on X. “Not B/c She Was Involved With Someone She Hired! But B/c She Came After Their Guy!!” Podcaster Jack Hopkins shared a similar sentiment on the app. He called the matter “a Trump fueled hit” on the D.A. handling his case, in an attempt to muddy the waters and cast doubts on her truthfulness.”
July ’24 – Supreme Court Rules on Immunity
In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Trump might be entitled to immunity from acts committed while he was in office. This included his behavior on Jan. 6, 2021, and consequently, the alleged attempt to overthrow the election. For Willis, who was already in the hot seat because of her romantic relationship, this meant Trump now had some grounds to get her case against him dismissed.
Oct. ’24 – End of YSL Trial
Young Thug, the alleged crime boss in charge of YSL, pled guilty to the RICO and no contest on several gang, gun and drug charges, NPR reported. With this, Willis’ case against the original 28 defendants came to a chaotic end. Despite the legal win for the DA’s office, they didn’t get the sentence they were looking for.
Willis’ team asked the judge for a sentence of 45 years– 25 in prison, 20 on probation– but Fulton County Judge Paige Reese Whitaker allowed Williams to go free immediately on Oct. 31 2024. “The total sentence is 40 years, to serve the first 5 years in prison but commuted to the time you’ve already served,” she stated of the sentencing. Even though Thug pled guilty, many believe he beat the case– considering he was facing an automatic life sentence– and in the court of opinion… that’s all that truly matters.
Nov. ’24 – Willis Wins Reelection
The Nov. 2024 election had everyone on their toes. Despite former Vice President Kamala Harris suffering a massive loss against Trump, it wasn’t all bad news. Willis, who dominated in the state’s primary election earlier that year, cruised to victory against her progressive contender. According to election results, Willis won with 68.1 percent of the votes, indicating that Atlanta residents were more than satisfied with the job she’d done despite the ongoing controversy about her romance.
Dec. ’24 – A Devastating Ruling
In a major win for Trump, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in Dec. 2024 that Willis and her office could no longer pursue the charges against Trump, we told you. “While this is the rare case in which DA Willis and her office must be disqualified due to a significant appearance of impropriety, we cannot conclude that the record also supports the imposition of the extreme sanction of dismissal of the indictment under the appropriate standard,” the appeals court judges wrote. Still, Willis wasn’t done yet…
Jan. ’25 – Appeals, Appeals… and More Appeals
Last January, Willis asked Georgia’s highest court to reverse the decision taking her off the case. According to her filling, removing her based on the “appearance of impropriety” regarding her romance with Wade simply wasn’t good enough, the Guardian reported.
Sep. ’25 – The End of it All
In September, the Georgia Supreme Court denied DA Willis’ appeal of her removal from the case. According to CBS News, the 4-3 decision means the end of any hope that Willis could stay on the case even if another DA decides to pick up from where she left off. In response, the president said Willis should pay for the damage she’s done to him. “What Fani Willis did to innocent people, patriots that love our country, what she did to them by indicting them and destroying them, she should be put in jail,” Trump said.
March ’26 – Judge Declares Willis Is ‘Wholly Disqualified’
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee ruled Monday (March 9) that Willis can’t participate in the ongoing fight over Trump’s attempts to get back the millions spent in legal fees spent, Fox 5 News reported. In his order, McAfee said Willis was already “wholly disqualified” from the prosecution way before the $16.8 million in fees ever came into question.
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