SETBACK

Judges Not Impressed With Mark Meadows’ Bid to Punt RICO Trial to Federal Court

Meadows was indicted alongside former President Donald Trump and others earlier this year.

A three-judge panel with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals expressed doubt at Mark Meadows’ request to have his Georgia racketeering trial moved out of state, the Associated Press reported, hampering his effort to avoid a jury pool drawn from Democratic-leaning Fulton County residents. Meadows was indicted alongside former President Donald Trump and others over their alleged efforts to keep Trump in power despite his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Meadows’ lawyers argued that, under the Federal Officer Removal Statute, federal officials are able to move cases such as Meadows’ to federal court. The judges appeared skeptical of the idea that the rule applies to former officials; Meadows served as Trump’s final chief of staff but does not currently work for the federal government.