Who is Steve Sadow? All about Trump's Defense lawyer seeking to appeal judge's decision to allow Fani Willis stay on the election racketeering case

A representative image of a white-collar lawyer. (Image via Unsplash)
A representative image of a white-collar lawyer. (Image via Unsplash)

On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, Steve Sadow, Donald Trump’s lead defense counsel in the election racketeering case, filed a motion to appeal against the judge’s decision to allow District Attorney Fani Willis to continue in the Fulton County case and deny dismissal of the same.

“President Trump and seven defendants have jointly filed a motion requesting the Court to grant a certificate of immediate review of its Order denying dismissal of the case and disqualification of Fulton County DA Willis," Sadow took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote in this regard.

The post with the attached court document named Rodolph William Louis Giuliani, Mark Randall Meadows, Robert David Cheeley, Michael A. Roman, David James Shafer, Harrison William Prescot Floyd, and Cathleen Alston Latham as the other defendants.

“The motion notes that the Court found that Willis’ actions created an appearance of impropriety and an ‘odor of mendacity’ that lingers in this case, but it nonetheless refused to dismiss the case or disqualify her,” the caption added.

Steve Sadow’s motion also accused Fani Willis of “forensic misconduct” and appealed for a “pretrial appellate review” of the case.


Steve Sadow has been a criminal defense attorney for the likes of Rick Ross

According to his LinkedIn bio, Steve H. Sadow has been a criminal defense lawyer specializing in white-collar crimes and general practice including healthcare fraud, RICO, drugs, firearms, murder, and forfeiture since 1993. He is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been a licensed legal professional since 1979.

He is an alumnus of the Emory University School of Law from where he earned a Doctor of Law (JD) in 1979. Before that, he studied political science and graduated with a B.A. degree from Marietta College in 1976. A native of Trotwood, Ohio, he is married to Susan Sadow, as per his Facebook bio.

Now heading his law firm Steve H. Sadow, P.C., previously he has worked at Schulten Ward Turner & Weiss, LLP as a special counsel alongside other notable firms including Garland Samuel & Loeb, LLP; Scoop; The Anderson Firm; and Sadow & Froy.

Steve Sadow is a member of organizations such as Atlanta Attorneys and White-Collar Defense Referral Network, among others. In his 44+ year career, Sadow has defended A-listers including rapper/ actor TI in his federal firearms case, and hip-hop star and businessman Rick Ross in his multiple felonies case including kidnapping, for which he was facing life sentences.

After Sadow’s line of defense, Ross’ felony charges were dropped and he only earned misdemeanor probation. Gunna and Usher have also been his clients.

Steve Sadow also got former NFL star Ray Lewis and his friend J. Sweeting acquitted in a 2000 double murder charges following a post-Super Bowl brawl in Atlanta.

Later, he also got a not-guilty verdict for Howard K. Stern in a criminal conspiracy and prescription drug fraud case in Los Angeles alongside its dismissal. Stern was the attorney and boyfriend of the late playmate and model Anna Nicole Smith.

Sadow has also successfully defended the Gold Club and his former owner Steve Kaplan in one of Georgia’s biggest RICO cases ever.

In 2022, he was among the top 500 most influential leaders in Georgia recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine and became the only criminal defense attorney from the state to ever get featured on it. Likewise, between 2020 and 2024, he was featured in Atlanta Magazine.

He has never been a prosecutor and has been listed on The Best Lawyers in America list since 1993. Steve Sadow offers community service in the form of pro bono cases. He is also an accomplished legal author, scholar, and lecturer.

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