Judges grill attorneys saying Mark Meadows case should be removed to federal court

ATLANTA — Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows wants an appeals court to move his racketeering case out of Fulton County court and into federal court.

Meadow’s attorneys appeared before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Friday morning.

They argue that since all of what happened surrounding the case happened while he was chief of staff, it should all move to federal court.

But even the judges couldn’t quite grasp what all his official duties were.

Many believe by having his case moved to federal court, Meadows could get a more friendly jury pool and could fight to get the indictment dismissed.

Inside the courtroom, Meadows’ attorney George Terwilliger argued Meadows should be protected from state court because everything he did was part of his official duties as Donald Trump’s chief of staff.

He said these “are facts taken in the west wing of the white house by the highest appointed white house official, and these were established through his testimony to be part of or connected to his duties.”

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But Judge Robin Rosenbaum seemed skeptical.

“The problem here is, according to him it seems like everything was within his official duties, and that just can’t be right,” Rosenbaum said.

Meadows is charged with racketeering in the election interference case, one of 15 remaining defendants accused of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

“I think it did not go well for Mr. Meadows,” said GSU law professor Dr. Clark Cunningham, who was inside the courtroom to watch the proceedings.

He doesn’t think Meadows’ arguments were very persuasive, though the case could hinge on whether the law applies to both current federal officials and former ones like Meadows.

“If they decide that you have to still be a federal official for removal, not only does Meadows lose and all the other defendants, but I think this case goes straight to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Cunningham said.

Which, Cunningham believes could delay the trial for a long time.

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US appeals court holds hearing on Mark Meadows effort to move case to federal court from Georgia

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