Bill Rankin,
Senior legal affairs reporter Bill Rankin, the newspaper's legal affairs reporter, has worked for the AJC for more than 30 years. Since 2015, he has been the host and narrator of the AJC's Breakdown podcast. Covering the state's court system has allowed Bill to cover some of Georgia's most sensational trials: Atlanta lawyer Fred Tokars, NFL star Ray Lewis, the infamous Gold Club and the hot-car case against Justin Ross Harris. Bill has also conducted lengthy investigations that exposed inequities and breakdowns in Georgia's indigent defense system, its administration of the death penalty and its civil and criminal justice systems. Bill is a product of the city of Atlanta's public school system, and his father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years before retiring in 1986. Ralph McGill, the former Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of The Atlanta Constitution, gave Bill his first dog, a dachshund named Heidi. Bill is happily married to Carol, the love of his life and who he first met in a 10th-grade high school typing class. He's also the extremely proud father of James, Sylvia and Errol. Bill can be reached at william.rankin@ajc.com and on Twitter @ajccourts.
66%
The Daily's Verdict
This author has a mixed reputation for journalistic standards. It is advisable to fact-check, scrutinize for bias, and check for conflicts of interest before relying on the author's reporting.
Bias
75%
Examples:
- Both Willis and Wade have enriched themselves on the case through self-dealing.
- The author misrepresents facts about the personal relationship between Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Conflicts of Interest
50%
Examples:
- Wade paid for additional trips that he took with Willis, undercutting their assertion that they had roughly split costs for travel.
Contradictions
85%
Examples:
- The article states that Wade has reached a temporary divorce settlement with his estranged wife and canceled a public hearing on Wednesday, but no details about what was included in this settlement or why it was necessary to cancel the hearing. This creates an impression of deception by omission.
- The article states that Willis is likely to avoid testifying in the case due to this temporary divorce settlement, but there is no evidence provided in the article that supports this claim or even suggests it’s true. This creates an impression of deception by misrepresentation.
Deceptions
70%
Examples:
- The article states that Wade has reached a temporary divorce settlement with his estranged wife and canceled a public hearing on Wednesday, but no details about what was included in this settlement or why it was necessary to cancel the hearing. This creates an impression of deception by omission.
- The article states that Willis is likely to avoid testifying in the case due to this temporary divorce settlement, but there is no evidence provided in the article that supports this claim or even suggests it’s true. This creates an impression of deception by misrepresentation.
- The author misrepresents facts about the personal relationship between Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Recent Articles
Georgia Court of Appeals to Hear Trump's Request to Disqualify Fani Willis from Election Interference Case on October 4
Broke On: Tuesday, 04 June 2024Former President Trump's bid to disqualify Fani Willis, Georgia DA from his election interference case due to her romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade, is set for oral arguments on October 4. The hearing may delay a trial past the November election. Trump's team argues conflict of interest; all three judges are Republican appointees. 
Georgia DA to Appeal Dismissal of Trump, Giuliani, and Others' Indictment Counts in Election Interference Case
Broke On: Thursday, 23 May 2024Former President Donald Trump and 15 others, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, face charges in a Georgia election interference case. The Fulton County District Attorney's Office plans to appeal the dismissal of six counts, which allege defendants urged officials to violate their oaths. The trial against Trump and co-defendants on racketeering conspiracy and other allegations is ongoing. 
Former President Donald Trump's Fulton County Election Interference Charges Should be Dismissed: Sadow
Broke On: Thursday, 28 March 2024Former President Donald Trump's charges in the Fulton County election interference case should be dismissed as they involve expressive conduct or speech, according to Sadow. The indictment details how Trump and his team pressured state officials to come up with 11,780 nonexistent votes to flip the ballot results and tried to employ fake electors in an end-run around the legitimate vote certification in Congress. 
DA Fani Willis and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade Accused of Misconduct in Trump Election Interference Case
Broke On: Saturday, 10 February 2024Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney and her special prosecutor Nathan Wade are under investigation for misconduct in the Trump election interference case. The allegations include lying about their personal relationship and using state funds for lavish vacations they took together. 
Trump Georgia Case: Nathan Wade Settles Divorce, Avoiding Testimony
Broke On: Wednesday, 31 January 2024Nathan Wade reached a temporary agreement in his divorce case to avoid testifying about an alleged romantic relationship with Fani T. Willis, who hired him as her trustworthy confidant for the Trump election interference case.