Current:Home > FinanceJudge denies Mark Meadows' bid to remove his Georgia election case to federal court -Quantum Capital Pro
Judge denies Mark Meadows' bid to remove his Georgia election case to federal court
View
Date:2025-04-11 20:19:19
A federal judge in Georgia on Friday denied former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' bid to move his Fulton County election interference case to federal court.
"Having considered the arguments and the evidence, the Court concludes that Meadows has not met his burden," Judge Steve Jones wrote in a 49-page order.
Meadows had sought to have his case moved based on a federal law that calls for the removal of criminal proceedings brought in state court to the federal court system when someone is charged for actions they allegedly took as a federal official acting "under color" of their office.
MORE: Mark Meadows seeks to move Fulton County election case to federal court
In ruling against Meadows, Jones found that Meadows did not meet what Jones called the "quite low" bar for removal, and that Meadows "failed to demonstrate how the election-related activities that serve as the basis for the charges in the Indictment are related to any of his official acts."
"The evidence adduced at the hearing establishes that the actions at the heart of the State's charges against Meadows were taken on behalf of the Trump campaign with an ultimate goal of affecting state election activities and procedures," the order said. "Meadows himself testified that Working for the Trump campaign would be outside the scope of a White House Chief of Staff."
"The color of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff did not include working with or working for the Trump campaign, except for simply coordinating the President's schedule, traveling with the President to his campaign events, and redirecting communications to the campaign," the judge wrote.
Specifically, Jones found that out of the eight overt acts that Meadows is alleged to have carried out in the Fulton County DA's indictment, Meadows showed that just one of them "could have occurred" within the scope of his duties: a text message he sent to Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania asking for phone numbers of members of the Pennsylvania legislature.
Jones found that Meadows arranging the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which then-President Donald Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes needed to win the state was "campaign-related political activity," and that Meadows' participation in that call was "political in nature."
"The record is clear that Meadows substantively discussed investigating alleged fraud in the November 3, 2022 presidential election," the order said. "Therefore, the Court finds that these contributions to the phone call with Secretary Raffensperger went beyond those activities that are within the official role of White House Chief of Staff, such as scheduling the President's phone calls, observing meetings, and attempting to wrap up meetings in order to keep the President on schedule."
The judge also sided with prosecutors in finding that "The Constitution does not provide any basis for executive branch involvement with State election and post-election procedures."
Four of Meadows' co-defendants in the case -- former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, former Coffee County GOP chair Cathy Latham, current Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still, and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer -- have also filed motions requesting their cases be removed to federal court.
Attorneys for Trump on Thursday notified the court that they may also seek to have the former president's case moved into federal court, according to a court filing.
Trump and 18 others have pleaded not guilty to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
The former president says his actions were not illegal and that the investigation is politically motivated.
veryGood! (88)
Related
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- 2024 All-NBA Teams: MVP Nikola Jokić, SGA headline first team, LeBron James extends record
- Psst! Michael Kors Is Having a Memorial Day Sale on Sale, With an Extra 20% off Dreamy Summer Bags & More
- Federal rules expanded to protect shoppers who buy now, pay later
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- NASA orders yet another delay for Boeing's hard-luck Starliner
- One Tree Hill's James Lafferty Reveals How His Wife Alexandra Feels About Show's Intense Fans
- Chiefs' Andy Reid Defends Harrison Butker for Not Speaking Ill to Women in Controversial Speech
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- WNBA rookie power rankings: Cameron Brink shines; Caitlin Clark struggles
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Vince Fong wins special election to finish term of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
- After Lahaina, Hawaii fire crews take stock of their ability to communicate in a crisis
- Hidden Walmart Fashion Finds TikTok Convinced Me Buy
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Chiefs' Andy Reid Defends Harrison Butker for Not Speaking Ill to Women in Controversial Speech
- Justice Department says illegal monopoly by Ticketmaster and Live Nation drives up prices for fans
- For Pablo López – Twins ace and would-be med student – everything is more ritual than routine
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Former Train Band Member Charlie Colin Dead at 58 After Slipping in Shower
Andrew Scott Addresses Connection Between Taylor Swift Album and Joe Alwyn Group Chat
How does the Men's College World Series work? Explaining the MCWS format
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Doncic leads strong close by Mavericks for 108-105 win over Wolves in Game 1 of West finals
Kelly Osbourne recalls 'Fashion Police' fallout with Giuliana Rancic after Zendaya comments
Kyle Larson faces additional obstacles to completing historic IndyCar/NASCAR double Sunday