Now that Trump has been indicted, folks are wondering who Fani Willis is—the Fulton County District Attorney. Well, first of all, her name has to be pronounced properly: It’s Fahnee, not Fannie. She was born in Inglewood, California, in 1971 and was raised by her father, a former Black Panther, who later became a prominent lawyer.
Fani attended Howard University, where she studied political science, graduating cum laude in 1993. Later she moved to Atlanta and attended Emory University School of Law, receiving her juris doctorate in 1996. For 16 years, she was a prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorney’s office. One of her most celebrated cases was her prosecution of the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.
In 2018, Fani began public law practice. That same year, she was unsuccessful in a bid for a seat on the Fulton County Superior Court. A year later, she became chief municipal judge for South Fulton, Georgia. She was elected district attorney of Fulton County in 2020, defeating her former boss, Paul Howard, a six-term incumbent.
Almost immediately, Fani launched a criminal investigation into Trump’s attempt to subvert the presidential election by influencing Georgia election officials. In 2022, she requested a special grand jury to consider charges that Trump interfered in the election and by April 2023, she officially charged Trump with RICO, as she had done with Young Thug, the rapper.
Fani’s personal life is an open book: She married Fred Willis in 1996 and they have two daughters together. They divorced in 2005.
The rest, as they often say, is history, and her story will become increasingly dramatic and headline news whenever the trial takes place. By then, Trump may already be convicted on charges stemming from the third indictment and trial.
Stay tuned, as we know you will!