Mark Meadows, the previous chief of staff during the Trump administration, expressed worry on Monday about the possibility of being convicted in the Georgia election interference case before it’s determined if his trial should occur in a federal court.
Last Friday, a judge turned down Meadows’s plea to transfer his case from the state court, leading Meadows to promptly appeal the decision.
As the legal battle continues, the current ruling permits the state court to move ahead with a conviction against Meadows. Therefore, Meadows is now making an appeal to a federal judge to halt the effects of the recent rejection.
His lawyer mentioned in legal documents, “To safeguard Meadows from a potential conviction during the appeal process, at the very least, the Court should put a hold on the remand order.”
If no actions are taken, the state plans to bring Meadows to trial on October 23, 2023, which is 42 days from now. This could mean Meadows might be subjected to a trial and, if found guilty, imprisoned before the standard federal appeal process concludes.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, responsible for making a decision on this request, has asked Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, Ga., to provide a written response by noon on the coming Tuesday.
If Meadows’s motion succeeds, it would only prevent the state court from passing a verdict against him, not from continuing with the trial proceedings.
Meadows’s lawyer mentioned in a recent motion, “Putting a hold on the Remand Order won’t hinder the State or other defendants in the state court. It would merely stop the court from making a judgment against Meadows. Even if the State wins the appeal, this won’t stop state court actions.” The lawyer further emphasized the greater impact on Meadows compared to any minor inconvenience the State might experience due to the hold.
Earlier, Meadows had also approached the state court requesting to halt all his legal processes until the matter gets settled. The decision on this is still pending.
Allegedly, Meadows was part of a conspiracy that spanned several months aiming to retain Trump in office post the 2020 elections. He’s facing charges of racketeering and urging a public official to breach their oath, though he has declared himself not guilty.
Meadows’s strategy involves transferring his case to a federal court, asserting that his actions were in line with his duties as the White House chief of staff. If he succeeds, it could open a pathway for him to claim constitutional immunity, potentially leading to the charges being dropped.
However, his request was declined last Friday when a judge determined that most actions cited against him in the indictment fell outside his official duties and were more political in nature.
