SCOTUS won't hear Meadows' appeal to move Georgia case to federal court
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Mark Meadows in November 2022. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a request from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court.
Why it matters: The decision keeps in place a lower court's ruling that Meadows' case would remain in Fulton County, where he was charged as a co-conspirator in now-President-elect Trump's alleged effort to overturn the state's 2020 election results.
- Meadows faced two counts in the far-reaching Georgia case and has pleaded not guilty.
State of play: The Supreme Court's decision halts Meadows' efforts to move the case to federal court, where he could raise claims of immunity and argue his actions were taken as part of his official duties.
- If the trial had moved to federal court, Meadows could have avoided possibly facing a more liberal jury pool in Democratic-leaning Fulton County.
- It also could have restricted public access, as all Georgia state court proceedings would have been televised, per a 2023 ruling.
Flashback: In their July appeal to the nation's highest court, Meadows' lawyers argued that "the threat posed by prosecutions against federal officers for actions relating to their federal functions" and the "right to remove" does not "evaporate" once an official leaves federal office.
- Meadows' effort to move his trial was seen by experts as the "strongest" case for removal.
Yes, but: Lower courts agreed Meadows' alleged crimes were unrelated to his official duties.
- The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Meadow's legal team's argument that he would be protected under the federal officer removal statute, arguing he does not qualify as a federal officer since he was a chief of staff.
- The court's opinion also concluded that "even if Meadows were an 'officer,' his participation in an alleged conspiracy to overturn a presidential election was not related to his official duties."
- The version of immunity Meadows seeks is not the same as the blanket protection the Supreme Court granted Trump, but his appeal relied on the decision in that case.
The big picture: The Georgia case has been put on ice as an appeals court considers whether to remove District Attorney Fani Willis, who easily won her reelection bid last week, over her relationship with a special prosecutor.
- It's just one of the many trials the president-elect's legal team successfully delayed until after the election.
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
