New challenge for the judge in the Trump case in Georgia: his own election

The judge still has not set a trial date for Trump’s case. It is expected to take place next year, but if Mr. Trump is elected, it is unclear whether he will be part of it. The question of whether a sitting president could be tried in state court would likely be decided by higher courts and could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.

Judge McAfee, according to campaign finance records, had raised more than $327,000 as of May 2, including $100,000 he had donated to his own campaign. Mr. Patillo raised about $11,800, records show. A third candidate, Tiffani Johnson, who, like Mr. Patillo, is black and a Democrat, raised more than $17,000. But Ms. Johnson was disqualified for failing to meet residency requirements, a decision she is seeking to overturn.

On the first Sunday in May, Judge McAfee, his wife and one of his two children were in attendance at Antioch North Baptist Church in Bankhead, a historically black neighborhood in Atlanta. They were warmly welcomed there.

“You have a job that most people wouldn’t want to have, and we are praying for you and your family,” said the Rev. Kenneth Lamont Alexander, addressing Judge McAfee from the pulpit. The herd applauds.

The judge said he was looking forward to winning and “getting back to work.” An accomplished cellist whose instrument hasn’t been used much lately, he said friends asked him to play at their wedding in Charleston, South Carolina, over Memorial Day weekend. Winning, he noted, might one day allow him to officiate and perform at a wedding.

“I’m only committed to cello at the moment,” he said.