Originally published to BBC News.com
Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor in Donald Trump's Georgia election interference case, has resigned after a judge said his affair with District Attorney Fani Willis was inappropriate.
Mr Trump and his co-defendants had tried to get Ms Willis disqualified, saying her relationship with Mr Wade - whom she hired - compromised the trial. The judge disagreed but said it did create an "appearance of impropriety".
He said either Ms Willis or Mr Wade should leave the case to resolve that.
Mr Wade's resignation letter admitted no wrongdoing, and said his decision was "in the interest of democracy, in dedication to the American public, and to move this case forward as quickly as possible".
According to Dr. Adrienne Jones, an assistant political science professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta, delaying the case was exactly what Mr Trump and his co-defendants had hoped for.
"They will ride that out as long as possible," she said. Ms Jones characterized the judge's decision as effectively a win-win for both Ms Willis and Mr Trump. The district attorney has the option to stay on the career-defining case, she said, and Mr Trump might not face trial before he is possibly elected president.
However, Ms Jones said the judge's "gratuitous comments" about Ms Willis' behaviour could harm the case by undercutting her credibility.
To the question of whether this could have an effect on a potential jury, Ms Jones said: "Absolutely. Everybody here is likely to be influenced by the news coverage of the judge's decision."
The case has not yet been scheduled for a trial.
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