Judge Scott McAfee rejected the defense’s insistence that Terrence Bradley be forced to testify about communications he had with Nathan Wade.

“I don’t think the crime fraud exception covers this,” he said, referring to the legal statute defense lawyers were pushing to force Bradley to disclose his conversations with Wade.

“It does not appear that there’s any evidence that the client ever waived [his attorney-client privilege] and allowed that information to be conveyed to you,” he added later, addressing Mike Roman’s lawyer Ashleigh Merchant.

After a long back and forth, Terrence Bradley testified that he does not have any personal knowledge of when DA Fani Willis and prosecutor Nathan Wade began their romantic relationship.

“Any knowledge of Nathan Wade and Fani Willis's romantic relationship beginning while they were both serving as judges– is any knowledge that you have from your own personal knowledge or something that was told to you in furtherance of legal advice?” asked attorney Ashleigh Merchant.

“I have no personal knowledge of when it actually happened,” Bradley replied.

The state is forcefully working to block testimony from Nathan Wade's law partner Terrence Bradley regarding text exchanges he had with defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant in September 2023.

The judge is so far allowing the defense to continue with its questioning of the texts.

At one point, Merchant handed her phone to the state to look at the texts after the state claimed they weren't sure if the texts were being presented in full.

"These exchanges are just two lawyers gossiping about information," the state said, while holding Merchant's phone. "And I'm concerned about it coming into the record in this way.”

The state told the court that they object to the defense even asking questions about the texts because if they were read it would be "inflammatory."

The defense called prosecutor Nathan Wade’s law partner Terrence Bradley to the stand as the hearing resumed Friday afternoon after a recess.

Bradley was called earlier but did not appear in court. Judge McAfee threatened to hold the witness in violation of a subpoena for his failure to appear. His attorney said he was at a doctor’s appointment.

The state is working to invoke privilege over his testimony.

State attorney Adam Abbate said that allegations that DA Fani Willis financially benefited from her relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade were "all speculation and conjecture" lodged in order to "harrass and honestly embarrass" her.

Abbate said Willis was subjected to irrelevant questioning on the witness stand that was intended "to again embarrass and harass the district attorney in a way that was very public, in a way that was to impugn her character as it relates to that line of questioning in front of the court, in front of anyone watching the proceedings."

But Judge Scott McAfee pressed the DA's office after they suggested Willis' alleged conflict was theoretical or speculative.

"Aren't we past the speculation and conjecture aspect of this, though?" McAfee asked, saying that "the core of the financial allegation was that there is a relationship, and that money has changed hands."

"I think it was conceded that that balance could run in the district attorney's favor -- is that contested?" the judge asked.

The DA's office responded that they did contest that, saying the costs paid by each party were "equal."

But the judge pushed back again, saying the bottom line remained: "It's no longer just a theory that money changed hands."

"It's no longer speculation or conjecture," the judge said.

Willis, seated at the prosecution table, appeared alert and highly engaged during Abbate's arguments, visibly nodding or shaking her head at points.

She at one point scribbled down a note and passed it to Abbate, during his presentation of arguments on behalf of the DA's office.

At the end of his arguments, Abbate mounted an impassioned plea for the judge to dismiss the defendants' claim that Willis sought to live a lavish lifestyle on the taxpayer dime -- citing her relatively humble accommodations during a visit to Napa Valley: a DoubleTree Hotel.

"Most people, when they go to Napa -- if they want to lavishly experience Napa -- stay at the Ritz Carlton, the Four Seasons, things of that nature -- not a DoubleTree. So the allegations and assertions that Miss Willis was living the lifestyle of the rich and the famous is a joke," he said. "An absolute joke."

Abbate added there was "no validity" to arguments that the speech Willis made at the church would prejudice a jury.

"For all the reasons before Your Honor, this motion should be denied because the legal requirements by that are required in order for the district attorney to be disqualified have not been satisfied," Abbate concluded.