The Fani Willis Thing... How Bad Is It?
Added 2024-02-10 04:42:19 +0000 UTCIn Episode 1003, Thomas and Matt are joined by Matt's partner, Casey, to discuss what's been going on with District Attorney Fani Willis down in Fulton County, Georgia. Perhaps you've heard about a scandal involving a relationship and a messy divorce... But how severe is it? How much of it is real, and how much is MAGA disinfo? What is likely to happen? Find out!
Casey was a prosecutor at the state level for more than 15 years. She has extensive experience in both trial and appellate litigation, including a substantial caseload of major felony and homicide matters. So not only are they a prosecutor and a defense attorney, but Matt and Casey also bring some extra insight when it comes to relationships between lawyers, as they are a real-life married lawyer couple!
Comments
Just to rub it in- publish the Patreon stats from 18 months ago through next April. How many left and how many returned? I heard your announcement on DOD and thought you made up with The Other Lawyer. So glad you didn't.
We can feed everybody
2024-02-16 04:19:29 +0000 UTCHoly crap! I had no idea how much I'd missed this show! Detailed, engaging, and informative coverage of interesting topics, instead of thel wank fest the other two turned it into.
Leigh Sharp
2024-02-14 21:20:37 +0000 UTCGood episode, however the prosecutor Fani Willis’s name is pronounced “fawn-ee” (like a baby deer “fawn” with a hard E at the end), not “fanny.”
It’s Never Aliens
2024-02-12 19:20:24 +0000 UTCYes! Came here to type a similar comment! Great discussion, I really enjoyed this episode.
Two Fabulous Thespians
2024-02-12 17:49:59 +0000 UTCthanks! I learned a lot about GA law this week and tried to stay safely behind my skis with all of this--hope we weren't too far off on anything
Matt Cameron
2024-02-11 23:03:20 +0000 UTCFun hearing Casey and Matt together, great hearing the different legal perspectives that they bring. I hope they stick with the podcast, I feel like they'll be great especially once they get even more comfortable breaking down legal cases and joking around with Thomas
Bob Barker says help control the pet population — have your pets spayed or neutered.
2024-02-11 18:21:03 +0000 UTCI loved the rundown of the takeosphere and hope this is a regular fixture!
Kevin Duff
2024-02-11 15:13:14 +0000 UTCCasey was great in this episode, I liked this lineup!
Corrigible (OA Live Show New Orleans)
2024-02-11 15:06:21 +0000 UTCIf y'all need a Georgia attorney (I do family law) to help with legal research - I may be able to help
Laura Friedman
2024-02-11 11:44:47 +0000 UTCA great first issues-of-the-day episode with the newly restored OA. Bravo!
M. D. Nova
2024-02-11 01:04:34 +0000 UTCThomas I’m so glad you’re back and I can resubscribe to a podcast I used to love.
Not that millionaire
2024-02-11 00:28:34 +0000 UTCReally like the new show and new co-hosts. Your analysis was great. I also want to agree with you. The one bit of trouble I have is that if you keep all the facts the same but swap out Trump for the stop cop city / Atlanta forest protestors (some of who are also facing Fulton Co GA RICO charges) I believe people would be more upset. While I don’t care about their personal behavior, I also just don’t think that this is a good look for the bright lights of the big stage.
Steve S
2024-02-10 23:48:42 +0000 UTCI am loving all the shade in the opening.
Sammi Scoop
2024-02-10 19:22:47 +0000 UTCI like Matt and Casey both being on this podcast because we get two legal perspectives, and the three of you have great chemistry. This is the best the podcast has been in such a long time.
AJ
2024-02-10 19:19:46 +0000 UTCThomas, you are way more comfortable with legal vocabulary than I remember! I wonder why that might be, hmmmm 😉
Cheers to The Onion, the greatest media outlet in the history of humankind
2024-02-10 17:35:29 +0000 UTCThanks o.a. buddy
MajorMinorGolf
2024-02-10 16:54:21 +0000 UTCMentioning the loyalty oath argument despite knowing they shouldn't has got to be a publicity stunt. They're not playing to the courts with that, they're playing to their voter base. I'm not going to dive into right wing news media to find out, but it wouldn't surprise me to find a Breitbard headline about the "corrupt Trump prosecutor's secret communist boyfriend".
Unlikable Internet Goblin
2024-02-10 16:04:32 +0000 UTCit's "fawn-knee" like you suggest: “My name is actually Fani (fah-nee), Taifa is my middle name, and my last name is Willis. So, my father was a Black Panther, so he was very Afrocentric… my name is Swahili. Fani actually means ‘prosperous,’ and Taifa means ‘people’.” https://web.archive.org/web/20220707085825/https://southatlantamagazine.com/2021/01/20/fultoncountyda/ i'm sure the mispronunciations are accidental, but let's get it right 🙏🏻
Jobu Tupaki
2024-02-10 15:44:25 +0000 UTCI don't think that argument is strong at all. Trump had already been indicted extremely narrowly by Jack Smith, twice. If the goal is to get Trump convicted before the presidential election, those two cases are the best shot (or would be, if Cannon wasn't in charge of one of them). I think Willis's strategy of casting as broad a net as possible and then using the little fish against the bigger fish is sound, and I for one am very happy to see individuals other than Trump who are complicit in this get yanked into court. I don't think this case was ever going to be completed before the presidential election, and with that being the case, you might as well go big! A quick Google search shows that $250 /hr is low for a lawyer in Georgia, although the exact amount varies a lot by specialty. But a contracts lawyer, for example, makes on average $450 an hour in atlanta, and can make up to $700 an hour. Wade arguably took a pay CUT to work on this case.
Maytree
2024-02-10 14:10:47 +0000 UTCIt really pisses me off that people can't keep it in their pants with the fate of the free world at stake. Back in 2020, Cal Cunningham was leading in the US Senate race from NC and could have flipped a seat for Dems. But, he just HAD to have an affair which came out just before the election and he lost.
Deanna T.
2024-02-10 14:07:02 +0000 UTCIs that the correct pronunciation of Fani? Open [ah] seems not only correct but just common sense to not be the one associated with a butt.
MajorMinorGolf
2024-02-10 13:33:12 +0000 UTCWrote this comment before I finished the episode, you mentioned it 😂
jk
2024-02-10 11:39:38 +0000 UTCThere is a strong argument that this case would be much more narrowly focused like the Smith indictments if it was simply aiming for a conviction. Instead probably for political reasons it's a huge complex RICO with tons of defendants that takes a huge amount of time and tax payer money to prosecute. The relationship gives another corrupt incentive for Willis to prosecute the case in the longest way possible because her partner is being paid by the hour to work on it. It stinks
jk
2024-02-10 11:22:29 +0000 UTCLoved hearing from Casey! She's a very clear and compelling speaker. I hope you have her on again!
Mara S.
2024-02-10 07:28:04 +0000 UTCKanye west’s publicist is important cause they were used to try to pressure the election workers into backing up a lie. This was not a victimless crime. Loved hearing from Casey! God this show is SO good!
KeepingThePlatesSpinning
2024-02-10 05:56:16 +0000 UTCI am getting ready to listen but I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you having a woman on as a guest expert. In a profession that is 40% women it is surprising how rarely that happens on legal podcasts.
Melissa Hall
2024-02-10 04:46:13 +0000 UTC
