Why the case against Fani Willis feels familiar to Black women

Tangala L. Hollis-Palmer felt proud when she learned that Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, and one of the nation's few elected black female prosecutors, would lead the case against former President Donald . J Trump.

But that pride would be tempered by dismay when news emerged of Ms. Willis' personal relationship with a fellow prosecutor, Nathan J. Wade, an outside attorney she had hired to help run the case. Ms. Hollis-Palmer, a black, 40-year-old lawyer from Mississippi, is especially angry at critics who, she said, are trying to discredit Ms. Willis. At first she was skeptical about the allegations. But when Ms. Willis herself admitted to the relationship, Ms. Hollis saved some disappointment for the accuser, who should have used “a little more discretion and a little better judgment,” she said.

Mr. Trump and several co-defendants call Ms. Willis's hiring of Mr. Wade a conflict of interest and want Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade disqualified, potentially disrupting a critical case against the former president and causing serious damage to the business of Mrs. Willis. reputation.

“We have to be so careful in these positions that we don't give people the ammunition to come after us,” Ms. Hollis-Palmer said.

On Thursday, a Georgian judge will hear evidence about the relationship between the two prosecutors.

A lawyer for one of Mr. Trump's co-defendants argues that Ms. Willis' hiring of Mr. Wade is a “form of self-dealing” that gives Ms. Willis an incentive to keep the case going.

Mr Wade has earned more than $650,000 since his appointment in 2021, while also spending money on joint holidays he took with Ms Willis, issues that will be central to this week's hearing. Ms Willis has said the costs of joint personal travel are “roughly evenly split” between her and Mr Wade.

Interviews with a dozen black women at various stages of their careers found them painfully conflicted about Ms. Willis' situation and her treatment in the public eye.

For many, there is something creepy about watching Mr. Trump and his allies attack Ms. Willis over a consensual romantic relationship as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. Trump was recently ordered by a Manhattan jury to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her after she accused him of a decades-long rape. A civil jury also found Mr. Trump liable for sexually assaulting Ms. Carroll.

Some deplored Ms. Willis' behavior as a mistake, but not one that should remove her from the case against Mr. Trump. Others, reflecting on their own experiences in the workplace, suggested another concern: They believe that black women are held to a different standard and that Ms. Willis should have known that her identity, along with the enormous political stakes of the case would lead to conflict. a white-hot spotlight on her personal behavior.

“I can't judge her as a human being, but I can say that in terms of her role as prosecutor, she has shown poor judgment,” said Donna Brazile, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. , adding that she had always kept a clear separation between her own personal and professional lives with “a bright red line.”

She said Ms. Willis faced “vitriol” and “racial animus” as a woman of color in a position of power.

But, Ms. Brazile said, some of the attention is to be expected for a high-profile person involved in a high-profile case, especially if it involves a former president of the United States.

“She is under public scrutiny – she is a public servant,” Ms Brazile said. “Comes with the territory.”

Jeff DiSantis, a spokesman for Ms. Willis' office, declined to comment.

The discussions about race, gender and Ms. Willis's dilemma have played out in group chats with text messages flying back and forth, in kitchen table conversations between couples and at student cafes.

“We are dealing with both sexism and racism,” Ms. Hollis-Palmer said. “But sometimes the sexism is even worse.” She practices law with her husband and said when they walk into a courtroom, people automatically assume he is the lead attorney. “People have often thought I was his assistant,” she added.

In publicly discussing Ms. Willis' predicament, some women of color have tried to walk a tightrope of empathy and anger.

These conflicting feelings recently played out during a discussion on the daytime talk show “The View.”

“I'm really pissed off too,” said co-host Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, a Nicaraguan American. “Because when you're a woman of color in such a high-profile position, you know the scrutiny that's going to come to you is greater than anyone else's, and she should have kept her house clean.”

Co-host Sunny Hostin, who is Black and Latina, chimed in, “Your stuff can't stink,” before adding that she agreed with Ms. Navarro-Cárdenas.

In some cases, concerns about Ms. Willis' treatment are outweighed unease about how her behavior could jeopardize a possible conviction of Trump.

“My initial reaction was that it seemed like a kind of half-hearted attempt to get the whole thing thrown out, which I think was just an incredible effort,” said Faith Udobang, 25, president of the University of Chicago Black Law Student Association.

But now she worries that the allegations of misconduct against Ms. Willis could delay the outcome until after the election.

“I believe the American people deserve to have adequate information when they go to the polls,” she said.

Some legal observers have said the efforts to disqualify Ms. Willis are on shaky legal grounds. They say the charges against Ms. Willis have nothing to do with whether or not Trump interfered in the state's 2020 elections and conspired to subvert the will of Georgia's voters. But Defendant attorneys could use the allegations of misconduct to undermine perceptions about the fairness of the prosecution by questioning Ms. Willis' judgment.

In a speech in January at one of Atlanta's oldest black churches, Ms. Willis suggested her critics were playing the “race card.” She defended her appointment of Mr Wade, saying his “impeccable credentials” were only being questioned because they are both black.

“It was clearly in someone's interest to bring her down,” said former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Democrat of Illinois and the first black woman to serve in the Senate. “The fact that she is a high-profile black woman just means she is a bigger target.”

Others are less certain that race or gender are central to fueling the accusations, instead arguing that anyone in Ms. Willis' position would be the target of personal attacks from Mr. Trump.

Luci Walker, a 54-year-old data analyst from Decatur, Georgia, said she does not believe Ms. Willis' race or gender played a role in the investigation.

“It's probably one reason or another, but I think maybe they're just looking for excuses to get out, or to get her off the case,” Ms. Walker said.

Leah D. Daughtry, a veteran Democratic strategist, said the focus on Ms. Willis' personal life was in some ways consistent with the kind of attention that follows many in public life. But there's an added complication for Black women, she said.

“There are people who will be empowered and empowered by the fact that she is a Black woman and will make it their job to continue to go further than they may have gone,” she said. It is “easy to argue that white men are not often subjected to the same scrutiny.”

She pointed to the many allegations of misconduct Mr. Trump has faced, including from Ms. Carroll.

“Nobody made that a disqualification,” she said of the current Republican presidential candidate. “But for Fani Willis, the fact that she is in a consensual relationship with another adult person makes her somehow disqualified or unqualified to continue the work she does. In that sense there is definitely a double standard.”

Glynda C. Carr, the leader of Higher Heights for America, an organization focused on involving black women in politics, said she was raised to believe that black women must be “twice” as good to navigate the challenging navigate dynamics in the workplace.

“Yes, we have a playbook about how we have to be twice as good, that we have to connect the dots,” she said. When the public thinks black women have made a mistake, she added, “they fall harder on the sword.”