The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort by Mark Meadows, former Trump White House chief of staff, to move the Georgia election interference case to federal court.
Meadows’s legal team contended that the charges stemming from the sweeping racketeering case surrounding President-elect Donald Trump should be heard in federal court because he was serving as a “federal officer” during the events in question, a status they argued should afford him immunity.
However, lower courts, including the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, disagreed with this defense.
The appeals court ruled that Meadows no longer holds a federal position, making him ineligible for the legal protection that would justify transferring his case to federal jurisdiction. The court further noted that even if Meadows were considered a federal officer, the conduct tied to his charges did not fall within his official responsibilities.
Meadows is facing two counts in the Georgia election interference case, which focuses on efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has denied any wrongdoing. The case originally included 18 other defendants, among them Trump, who has similarly entered a not-guilty plea.
Trump, who was elected president last week, has already begun to see signs that his criminal prosecutions are winding down in light of his reentry into the White House. Special counsel Jack Smith has requested a pause in his 2020 election subversion case in Washington, D.C., and the classified documents case in Florida has been dismissed by a federal judge, pending appeal. Smith has hinted that both prosecutions must end, citing long-standing Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting or incoming presidents.
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In New York, Judge Juan Merchan approved a joint request on Tuesday from both the prosecution and defense to postpone deadlines, including the sentencing date for Trump, as they review how his presidential election might affect the case.
The fate of the Georgia racketeering case could be decided as early as Dec. 5, when the Georgia Court of Appeals is scheduled to weigh Trump and several co-defendants’ requests to have Fani Willis thrown off of the case as lead prosecutor after they said she engaged in improper conduct with a former special prosecutor she hired to helm the case.
