The view outside the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse this morning reminded me of that August day in 2023 when the world came to the gates of Fulton County Jail. It was hot that day, and thousands of supporters of former United States President Donald J. Trump were lying in wait for him to arrive at the jail to get his now-famous mugshot. If you’re not certain which mugshot I’m referring to, no worries, I completely understand. After all, there are several to choose from.

The satellite trucks from both local and national media outlets and the crowds of reporters stationed outside the jail On Thursday morning were similar to that day in August. The circus comes to town. On Thursday, the circus returned, but this time Trump played a bit part to the star of the show: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Willis took the witness stand during day one of a hearing to see if Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott F. McAfee would remove her and her office from one of the most high-profile cases in the country. Willis’ testimony followed hours of testimony from special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis and Wade admitted that they were once in a romantic relationship before he was hired to join the team that would face off against Trump and his lawyers. It was McAfee’s job to listen to both sides, and if Willis’ testimony was any indication of what is to come -she’s scheduled to return to the witness box again at 9 a.m. on Friday, this might not be a tough decision for McAfee.

“You think I’m on trial, you’re confused; these people are on trial,” Willis told attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Michael Roman. She was referring to a total of 19 people indicted for election interference in Georgia, including Roman….