Battle to Move Georgia Racketeering Case Against Trump and Allies to Federal Court Begins
The battle to move the Georgia racketeering case against former President Donald J. Trump and his allies to federal court commenced on Monday. Lawyers representing Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, made their arguments in favor of the move before Judge Steve C. Jones of the United States District Court in Atlanta.
This hearing marks the first major legal fight since Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, filed an indictment in the case. The indictment charges Trump and 18 of his allies with interfering in the 2020 presidential election in the state. Meadows is among the defendants seeking to move the case to federal court, and any decision made could affect all 19 individuals involved.
If successful, the effort could work in favor of the Trump side by expanding the jury pool beyond Fulton County into outlying counties where the former president has more support. Additionally, it could potentially slow down some of the legal proceedings. Should the case remain in state court, three defendants are likely to face trial starting in October. Kenneth Chesebro has already been granted an early trial, Sidney Powell has requested the same, and John Eastman’s lawyer has stated they will also seek a speedy trial.
In order to transfer the case to federal court, the defendants must convince a judge that their actions under investigation were carried out by federal officers as part of their official duties. Earlier this year, Trump’s attempt to move a New York State criminal case against him to federal court failed, as his argument was deemed weak.
Judge Jones, presiding over the hearing on Meadows’s motion, had previously blocked Meadows’s attempt to avoid being booked at the Fulton County jail, ruling that state court proceedings continue until a decision on removal is made.
Now, the case moves forward in state court, with Judge Scott McAfee scheduling arraignments of Trump and the other defendants for September 6. Given the security concerns surrounding a former president, it is possible that some or all of the arraignments will be conducted remotely.
Over the next few weeks, the case will be handled by two different judges working in courthouses a few blocks apart in downtown Atlanta. Judge McAfee, appointed by Georgia’s Republican governor Brian Kemp and a member of the conservative Federalist Society, will preside over the state court proceedings. Judge Jones, an Obama appointee, has been expediting the removal question. In the past, he upheld Georgia’s purge of voter rolls and blocked a six-week abortion ban from taking effect in the state.
The Georgia case is the fourth criminal indictment against Trump this year. In March, he was indicted in Manhattan on state charges related to hush money paid to a pornographic film actress. He is also facing two federal cases, one in Washington for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and another in Florida regarding the handling of classified government documents after leaving office.