The council responsible for appointing a new lead prosecutor in the high-profile Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump has formally requested more time, just one day after a judge issued a 14-day deadline for the appointment.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was removed from the case earlier this week, and on Friday, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ordered the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys Council (PAC) to name a successor within two weeks or risk the case being dismissed altogether.

“Should an appointed prosecuting attorney or representative of PAC fail to file an entry of appearance or request a particularized extension within 14 days from the entry of this Notice, the Court will issue a dismissal without prejudice for want of prosecution,” McAfee wrote in his Friday order.

Less than 24 hours later, PAC Executive Director Peter Skandalakis filed a motion seeking more time, citing the scale and sensitivity of the legal proceedings.

“Due to the complexity of this case and the vast personnel and resources required to handle a case of this nature, it will require time to seek a District Attorney Pro Tempore willing to take on this prosecution,” Skandalakis wrote in the Saturday filing.

The request highlights the difficulty of finding a prosecutor willing to lead what is arguably one of the most politically and legally consequential criminal cases in modern American history — one that implicates a former president and several allies in alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

It remains unclear how quickly the council will be able to identify a replacement or whether the court will grant the extension. The case, already marked by intense public scrutiny and legal maneuvering, now faces further uncertainty as the clock ticks on Judge McAfee’s ultimatum.