ATLANTA — Looking to avoid another indictment, Donald Trump is continuing his attacks on Atlanta's top prosecutor and pushing forward with a civil lawsuit in an effort to end Georgia's 2020 election probe.
However, none of Fulton County's Superior Court judges will rule on the matter.
Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville ruled Thursday that all active county superior court judges should be recused from the civil case Trump filed against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Judge Robert McBurney.
The ruling comes as Trump's legal team — Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg and Jennifer Little — renewed their attacks of Willis. In a new court filing, they claim Willis is using the investigation to boost her reelection bid.
"The District Attorney’s campaign-finance disclosures expose that she is fundraising for her reelection campaign on the back of this case," they said.
Glanville assigned the lawsuit to the Seventh Judicial Administrative District, which covers 14 counties in the northwestern portion of the state. Judge D. Scott Smith of Bartow County serves as the district's chief judge.
The former president's legal team filed their initial lawsuit last week, aimed at disqualifying Willis and burying a special purpose grand jury's report into potential election interference. While much of the report remains sealed, Trump's attorneys argue that no evidence from the document should be used by the district attorney's office.
Trump's attorneys filed the lawsuit and a separate petition with the Georgia Supreme Court following an initial request to quash the jury's report in March. In addition to seeking Willis' disqualification, Trump's team also wanted a judge other than McBurney to rule on their motion.
Attorneys representing the former president filed the lawsuit in part because the March motion never received a ruling. The lawsuit seeks to have Willis and McBurney comply with "the lawful duties of their offices and "bar their further contortion of legal processes."
The Georgia Supreme Court dismissed Trump's case Monday. The justices ruled that Trump failed to prove the circumstances were extraordinary enough to warrant their interference when the Fulton Superior Court had yet to rule on his original requests.
The state Supreme Court also ruled that the former president's legal team didn't provide the "facts or law" necessary to mandate Willis' disqualification.
Trump's legal maneuvering to prevent prosecution comes as potential indictments loom. Willis has hinted that charging decisions will come sometime between July 31 and Aug. 18.
It's unclear which of the two current Fulton County grand juries will hear evidence in the election investigation. One of the juries meets on Monday and Tuesday, and the second meets on Thursday and Friday.
The special purpose grand jury report recommends at least a dozen indictments, jury foreperson Emily Kohrs told media outlets earlier this year.