|
A
three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th
Circuit ruled that Meadows was not entitled to move the case
because Meadows is no longer a federal officer and the charges
relate to conduct that was not part of his official
responsibilities.
Meadows was indicted in Georgia state court as part of a
sweeping racketeering case accusing the Republican former U.S.
president and several of his allies of attempting to reverse
Trump's defeat in the state. Meadows has pleaded not guilty.
Meadows, who served as Trump's final White House chief of staff,
argued that he was entitled to be tried in federal court under a
U.S. law that allows federal officials to move cases that relate
to their official duties. A federal judge rejected that argument
in September, prompting Meadows to appeal.
A lawyer for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request
for comment. A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney
Fani Willis, who is prosecuting the case, also did not respond.
Meadows can appeal the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meadows could have faced a friendlier jury pool in federal
court, which draws from a larger and more politically diverse
area than Fulton County, Georgia, the Democratic stronghold
where the case was filed.
Moving to federal court also would have let Meadows argue that
he is immune from state prosecution because he was carrying out
his duties as a federal official.
Meadows is accused of arranging calls and meetings in which
prosecutors have said Trump pressured election officials to
change the vote count in his favor, including a call in which
the then-president urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to deliver him the state,
which Biden won.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone and
Deepa Babington)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
