US Supreme Court spurns Mark Meadows’ bid to transfer Georgia case to federal court
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday spurned a request from ex-Trump aide Mark Meadows to transfer his Georgia 2020 election-tampering case to a potentially more favorable federal court.
The former White House chief of staff, 65, had battled in court for months to move his case from the state to federal level, where he could attempt to make immunity claims in the Fulton County racketeering case.
The high court denied to take up his petition without specifying a reason why.
Meadows’ lawyer had tried pleading with the Supreme Court over the summer, arguing, ”This court reiterated that the threat posed by prosecutions against federal officers for actions relating to their federal functions does not evaporate once they leave federal office.”
“A White House Chief of Staff facing criminal charges based on actions relating to his work for the president of the United States should not be a close call.”
His camp had already lost previous requests for a transfer in the lower courts, including the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which concluded that even though Meadows was in a federal role at the time of his alleged crimes, he no longer is — so the statutes his team was relying on in its arguments don’t protect him.
In terms of presidents, in July, the high court ruled in favor of Donald Trump by concluding that commanders in chief are entitled to absolute immunity for “official acts,” though it stopped short of outlining in detail what counts as an official act, leaving several cases against him up in the air.
Meadows had his eye on winning a similar type of immunity.
He was arguing that he was serving as a federal officer during the time period in question, so he should enjoy protection from prosecution.
The former North Carolina Republican congressman was charged in the sprawling Georgia election racketeering case in August 2023 alongside 18 others, including Trump, 78.
Meadows has since pleaded not guilty to the charges, which entail solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Meadows had similarly sought to transfer the 2020 election case he is facing in Arizona to a federal court but got slapped down by a judge in September.
Either way, the Georgia election-tampering case is currently on ice for Trump, Meadows and some of the other biggest names involved thanks to a challenge against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is overseeing the case.
Willis, a Democrat, won reelection last week. Several defendents in the case are trying to give her the boot over her “inappropriate” relationship with Nathan Wade, the former top prosecutor who departed the role in March.
A Meadows lawyer did not respond to a Post request for comment Tuesday.
