Judge Denies Mark Meadows’ Request to Move Election Subversion Case to Federal Court
In a significant blow to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a judge has ruled that his Georgia election subversion case must be fought in state court rather than federal court. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones denied Meadows’ request to move the case, stating that he had not met the threshold to justify a transfer to federal court. Judge Jones emphasized that the actions in question were taken on behalf of the Trump campaign and were unrelated to Meadows’ role as a federal official.
This ruling is a major victory for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who spent two and a half years investigating and building a case against Meadows, former President Donald Trump, and 17 others. The indictment under Georgia’s anti-racketeering law was a result of her efforts. Willis has expressed her intention to try all the defendants together.
While Meadows plans to appeal the ruling, this decision could have implications for other defendants who have also requested to move their cases to federal court. The ruling suggests that they may face challenges in meeting the burden required for removal. However, Judge Jones made it clear that he will assess each case individually.
Moving the case to federal court would have practical effects such as a broader jury pool and a trial without cameras. However, it would not enable Trump or any other president to issue pardons, as any convictions would still be under state law.
Meadows’ lawyer has not yet responded to the ruling, but they have filed a notice of appeal. Meadows and the other defendants were indicted for their alleged involvement in a scheme to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia. All defendants have pleaded not guilty, with Meadows claiming that his actions were part of his role as chief of staff.
Prosecutors argue that the indicted actions were politically motivated and violated the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by federal employees. Judge Jones wrote that the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that most of the actions attributed to Meadows did not fall within his scope of executive branch duties.
In a separate development, a Georgia judge released the full report prepared by a special purpose grand jury in the investigation that led to the indictments. The report revealed that the majority of the members recommended charges against 27 individuals, including Senator Lindsey Graham, former Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn. However, these individuals were not ultimately charged.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung criticized the indictment process, calling it politically motivated and biased. He argued that the individuals were indicted simply for raising concerns about election integrity and exercising their First Amendment rights.
Original Story at www.cbsnews.com – 2023-09-09 01:02:00
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