Medical school debt is inevitable when studying to become a doctor, but this is usually remedied when you start practicing and pulling in serious money. When you decide to study law in the United States, it’s more of a gamble. Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia is currently facing heavy criticism from those demanding she step aside due to her role in the 2020 election influence case against president-elect Donald Trump. Let’s take a deeper look at how she got here.
Willis was born on October 27, 1971 in Inglewood, California. She moved to Washington D.C. when she was in the first grade. After graduating from Howard University with a degree in political science, she followed in her father’s footsteps studying law at Emory University. In 1996 she married her spouse Fred Willis, with whom she had two children before their 2005 divorce.
After law school, Willis landed a job as a prosecutor in the Fulton County district attorney’s office. As assistant D.A. she gained prominence in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating case in 2015. Eleven educators were convicted of racketeering after changing their students’ standardized test results.
In 2018, Willis decided to go into private practice. Two years later, she was voted in as the first female district attorney for Fulton County. She bested her former boss, Paul Howard Jr., who had held the position for six , to win. She was put to work immediately. Even though Trump lost the 2020 election, he refused to accept the results. On January 2, 2021, he called Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Secretary of State, and ordered him to “find 11,780 votes.” The call was leaked to the media the following day.
Willis used Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, designed to successfully prosecute mobsters. In Aug. 2023, she applied the statute to Trump and 18 of his ers, all of whom declared their innocence. Four would go on to take plea deals.
Even before official charges were announced, Trump and his lawyers tried to get Willis off this historic case as she is well known as a formidable protector who is always prepared. In August, Trump was formally indicted and forced to report to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta where he was released on $200,000 bail after being processed and taking his now-infamous mugshot.
In Jan. 2024 former Trump campaign staffer Michael Roman’s defense team filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him and further discredit Willis. They claimed she had an inappropriate relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade and that the pair financially benefited from their involvement in the case.
Willis has itted the affair happened but remains steadfast in her declaration that neither she nor Wade benefited from their relationship. She claims it began after Wade was hired and ended before the indictment. In Mar. 2024, Judge McAfee ruled that either Wade or Willis would have to step down. Wade resigned.
Despite McAfee’s ruling, the Trump defense team continued tirelessly to have her removed. In Jul. 2024 the Supreme Court ruling giving Trump presumptive immunity made the case even more unclear. In December, Willis was disqualified by the Georgia Court of Appeals. Willis immediately signaled her intent to appeal this decision by filing the proper paperwork but the case’s future remains uncertain.
Throughout this dramatic turn of events, Willis has maintained her financial stability. It is estimated that Willis’ net worth is around $3-5 million. This has been amassed through her salaries as a public servant, investments, private practice earnings, and real estate.
Published: Dec 31, 2024 05:25 am