The decision comes while the court reviews a trial judge's ruling that allowed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue prosecuting the case.

The stay issued by the court applies specifically to Trump and the eight co-defendants who sought to have Willis and her office removed from the case due to her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor involved in the proceedings. A panel of three judges on the appeals court is tentatively scheduled to hear arguments on October 4th regarding the disqualification bid.

Taking place during the August term, a decision on the case must be rendered by March 14, 2025. The temporary pause in proceedings makes it highly unlikely that a trial will be held before the November election, when Trump is expected to face President Biden for a second term in the White House.

Willis' office has declined to comment on the development. Earlier, Trump and a group of his co-defendants had appealed a decision from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who allowed Willis to remain on the case on the condition that Wade resigned, which he subsequently did.

The disqualification effort has significantly disrupted the legal process for months. During this time, McAfee held evidentiary hearings to determine whether the request by Trump and his allies to remove Willis and her office from the prosecution should be granted. The motion brought by GOP operative Michael Roman, later joined by the former president and seven others, alleged an improper romantic relationship between Willis and Wade, as well as financial benefits derived from it.

While McAfee rejected the request to disqualify Willis, he strongly criticized the district attorney's conduct. The judge expressed doubt about the exact timeline of the romantic relationship but stated that "an odor of mendacity remains." McAfee rebuked Willis for a "tremendous lapse in judgment."

Trump himself faces ten charges in the racketeering case brought by Fulton County prosecutors and has pleaded not guilty. The indictment, returned by a grand jury in August last year, accuses Trump and 18 others of engaging in an unlawful scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, with the aim of keeping Trump in power. Among the co-defendants, four have pleaded guilty after reaching plea deals with prosecutors.

This pause in proceedings means that, when voters cast their ballots for president in November, only one of Trump's four criminal cases will have undergone a trial. Just last week, the former president was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York, marking the first time a former president has been found guilty of a crime. Trump and his legal team have expressed their intention to appeal the conviction, initiating a process that could span months or even years. Sentencing is currently scheduled for July 11th.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutions in both Washington, D.C., and South Florida have either been paused or are proceeding slowly. In Washington, Trump faces four counts related to an alleged scheme to subvert the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election and 40 counts stemming from his handling of sensitive government records after leaving the White House, as well as efforts to obstruct the investigation. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The proceedings in Washington have been put on hold as the Supreme Court deliberates on the question of whether Trump is immune from federal criminal charges for conduct related to alleged official acts. In South Florida, a trial has been indefinitely delayed due to pending pre-trial motions and other issues.