Fani Willis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fani Willis
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Willis in 2024
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| District Attorney of Fulton County | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Howard Jr. |
| Judge of the South Fulton, Georgia Municipal Court | |
| In office 2019–2020 |
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| Preceded by | Tiffany Sellers |
| Succeeded by | Michael L. Sheridan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 27, 1971 Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Fred Willis
(m. 1996; div. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Howard University (BA) Emory University (JD) |
| Website | |
Fani Taifa Willis (born October 27, 1971) is an American lawyer. She is the top prosecutor, called the District Attorney, for Fulton County, Georgia. This county includes most of Atlanta. She has held this important job since 2021. She is the first woman to be the District Attorney in Fulton County.
As District Attorney, Fani Willis has handled some very important cases. She looked into the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. This led to charges against former President Donald Trump and others. She also investigated a music group called YSL Records. This led to charges against rapper Young Thug and others for gang-related activities.
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Early Life and Education
Fani Willis was born in Inglewood, California. Her father, John C. Floyd III, was a lawyer. He was also involved with the Black Panthers group. When Fani was young, her family moved to Washington, D.C.. Her father worked there as a lawyer who defended people accused of crimes.
Fani Willis went to Regina High School in Maryland. It was an all-girls Catholic school. She then studied political science at Howard University. She graduated with honors in 1993. After that, she moved to Atlanta. She attended Emory University School of Law and became a lawyer in 1996.
Starting Her Career
Fani Willis began her career as a solicitor. This means she handled smaller cases, like minor offenses. She worked for 16 years as a prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorney's office. A prosecutor is a lawyer who tries to prove that someone committed a crime.
One of her most well-known cases was the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal. She was the lead prosecutor in this trial. It involved school staff accused of changing student test answers. Eleven of the twelve educators were found responsible in 2015.
In 2018, she started her own law practice. She also ran for a judge position but did not win. In 2019, she became a Chief Municipal Judge for South Fulton, Georgia.
District Attorney of Fulton County
In 2020, Fani Willis was elected District Attorney for Fulton County. She won against her former boss, Paul Howard Jr. In this role, she is known for using a law called the RICO Act. This law helps prosecute groups of people involved in organized activities.
In 2022, an employee claimed Willis fired her unfairly. The employee said she found issues with how federal money was being used. In 2024, a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives asked Willis for information about this. Willis stated the employee was fired for good reasons. She also said the money was used correctly.
In November 2024, Willis won her re-election. She had raised over $2 million for her campaign. She defeated Courtney Kramer in the general election.
Investigation into the 2020 Election
On February 10, 2021, Fani Willis started an investigation. It looked into efforts to change the 2020 election results in Georgia. This included calls made to Georgia election officials. She wanted to see if any laws were broken.
In January 2022, she asked for a special grand jury. This group of citizens helps decide if there's enough evidence for a trial. The grand jury looked into election interference. They had the power to ask people to testify.
Willis sent letters to people being investigated. These included officials and others who acted as fake electors. A judge later ruled she could not investigate one official. This was because Willis had hosted a fundraiser for a political opponent.
The special grand jury finished its work in January 2023. Parts of their report were released in February. On August 14, 2023, Willis's office announced charges against Donald Trump and 18 others. These charges included 13 against Trump. In 2024, a judge removed some of these charges. Prosecutors can choose to refile them later.
In January 2024, a defendant asked for Willis to be removed from the case. This was due to a personal relationship she had with a lead prosecutor. On March 15, 2024, a judge ruled that either Willis or the prosecutor had to leave the case. The prosecutor, Nathan Wade, resigned a few hours later. In May 2024, a higher court agreed to review the decision about Willis. On December 19, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that Willis and her office should be removed. Willis's office announced they would appeal this decision. As of February 2025, the state supreme court had not yet decided whether to hear the appeal.
In January 2025, a judge ordered Willis's office to pay money. This was for not providing documents when asked. Another judge also ordered her to pay for not following public records laws.
Atlanta Gang Investigations
In May 2022, Willis's office announced charges against Young Thug. He is a rapper, and 28 members of his YSL record label were also charged. These charges were for gang-related activities. The trial for this case began in November 2023. It became the longest trial in Georgia's history. On October 31, 2024, Young Thug reached an agreement. He was given 15 years of probation and released.
Personal Life
Fani Willis met Fred Willis when she was taking her bar exam. They got married in 1996. They have two daughters together. They divorced in 2005.
