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Court rejects appeal by Meadows to move election case out of Fulton County

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals brought the decision Wednesday afternoon.

ATLANTA — An appeals court has once again rejected Mark Meadows' attempt to move his election interference case to federal court.

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals released its decision Wednesday afternoon, noting it would not review a previous ruling on the matter.

Meadows, who served as former president Donald Trump's chief of staff, has tried to get his case moved before but to no avail.

Last time around, a three-judge panel unanimously found that the federal removal statute did not apply to former federal officers. 

The scope of Meadow's role

Meadows has been charged with violating Georgia's RICO law and is also accused of trying to get Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to violate his oath of office during the 2020 election. 

Meadows has pleaded not guilty, and his team insists the chief of staff had a wide range of power and that his actions were related to this role.

Back in late August, Meadows testified that his day-to-day responsibilities were nearly “24/7” and included everything from “informal” contacts with policymakers at the state level to consulting on matters of national security.

Fulton County prosecutors rejected arguments that Meadows' actions, as described in the indictment, were part of his role. 

The Fulton County District Attorney's Office accused him of violating the Hatch Act, a 1939 law prohibiting civil service employees, excluding the president and vice president, from engaging in political activity.

In their ruling Monday, the judges affirmed Jones' ruling earlier this year.

"We conclude that Meadows’s association with the alleged conspiracy was not related to his office of chief of staff," the opinion reads. "Simply put, whatever the precise contours of Meadows's official authority, that authority did not extend to an alleged conspiracy to overturn valid election results."

What's next?

Meadows could try to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Meadows, Trump and 17 others were indicted by a Fulton County charge jury on election charges last August. To date, four people have taken plea deals in the case.

Prosecutors are seeking an August 2024 trial date for the remaining 15 defendants. No date has been set.

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