Lawyers for Mark Meadows will argue before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday morning that it should overturn a judge’s ruling that said he cannot move his Georgia racketeering case to federal court.
Meadows has argued that because the alleged acts he was charged with fall “under the color” of his role as Trump’s White House chief of staff, he has a right to move his case from state court to federal court. In the latter, a potentially more favorable jury pool could be drawn upon.
Federal Judge Steve Jones didn’t accept that argument, so Meadows has appealed that ruling and his lawyers will present the arguments Friday before the three-judge panel. It includes judges nominated by President Joe Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
If he’s successful, Meadows could then attempt to claim immunity from prosecution under the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which he and his legal team have said should prohibit “state interference in a federal official’s duties.”
Meadows filed court documents earlierthis year to move his case from Fulton County,Georgia, to federal court after he was one of 19 people, including Trump, charged in a 41-count indictment related to their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Attorneys for Meadows argued that the conduct described in the indictment occurred “during his tenure and as part of his service as Chief of Staff.” They cited a federal law that allows federal officers or agencies to remove civil actions or criminal prosecutions in state court for alleged actions taken “under color” of their offices to U.S. District Court.
Meanwhile, several of his co-defendants in the Fulton County racketeering case have pleaded guilty and cooperated with prosecutors.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
