(The Center Square) – Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram gave District Attorney Fani Willis until Jan. 13 to respond to an order that requires her to honor a subpoena from a Georgia Senate committee.
Willis refused to appear before the Senate Special Committee on Investigations that wanted to question her about her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.
Former Gov. Roy Barnes argued at a Dec. 3 hearing that the committee did not have the power to issue the subpoena. Ingram disagreed in her decision handed down this week.
Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, said last week he was introducing a resolution to reinstate the committee when the 2025 session of the General Assembly convenes.
“Despite our committee’s lawful subpoena, DA Willis has refused to testify. This, coupled with troubling revelations of apparent violations of Georgia’s open records laws, paints a disturbing picture of an office operating as though it is above the law,” Dolezal said. “This behavior undermines public trust and raises serious questions about the integrity of her office.”
Lt. Governor Burt Jones said he supports the committee’s revision.
“The Senate will not back down in its fight for accountability of taxpayer dollars,” Jones said. “DA Willis’s refusal to come before the committee is unacceptable and addressing these issues to require accountability will be a priority for the Senate.”
The Georgia Court of Appeals issued an order removing Willis from the case against Trump and others accused of election interference because of a romantic relationship between Willis and lead prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The court did not dismiss the indictment.
“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 court said in its ruling.
