Mark Meadows in a police booking mugshot released by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office | via Reuters
A judge on Friday denied the request made by Mark Meadows, former chief of staff for the Trump White House, to move his criminal case related to the Georgia election conspiracy to federal court in Atlanta. This decision means that Meadows’ case will remain in Fulton County Superior Court, a Georgia state court located in Atlanta.
Shortly after the ruling, Meadows’ lawyers stated their intention to appeal the decision to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Last month, Meadows was indicted along with Trump and 17 other co-defendants by a grand jury in Fulton County court. The charges against them are related to their efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in Georgia during the 2020 election.
A lawyer for Trump stated on Thursday that the former president may also seek to have his case transferred to federal court. In fact, four other defendants have already made such requests.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in his detailed order issued on Friday in Atlanta federal court, stated that Meadows did not meet the necessary criteria to move his case from Fulton County court to federal court. Jones emphasized that Meadows’ actions were not directly related to his federal office as White House Chief of Staff.
“The Court concludes that Meadows has not shown that the actions that triggered the State’s prosecution related to his federal office,” wrote Judge Jones, who held a hearing on the matter last week.
Jones further stated, “Meadows’s alleged association with post-election activities was not related to his role as White House Chief of Staff or his executive branch authority.”
In regard to one of the eight criminal acts allegedly committed by Meadows, which involved asking Rep. Scott Perry for phone numbers on behalf of Trump, Jones mentioned that this act could have fallen within the scope of Meadows’ federal office.
“The actions that form the basis of the State’s charges against Meadows were carried out on behalf of the Trump campaign with the intention of influencing state election activities and procedures,” wrote Jones.
Jones added, “Meadows himself testified that working for the Trump campaign would be beyond the scope of a White House Chief of Staff.” It is worth noting that Judge Jones was appointed by President Barack Obama.
If any of the other defendants succeed in transferring their cases to federal court, they will still face the same state criminal charges, prosecuted by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office.
While Judge Jones stated that his rejection of Meadows’ request does not impact the requests made by other defendants, it is likely an unfavorable sign for their bids.
Among all the defendants, Meadows was seen as having the strongest chance of moving his case to federal court because of his position in the federal government and his residency in Washington, D.C. at the time of the alleged crimes.
The federal court in Atlanta is considered a potentially more favorable venue for the defendants, as its jury pool is drawn from a larger area and is likely to include a higher number of Republicans.
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