The Supreme Court dismisses the Georgia case against Trump's ex-chief of staff

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to admit Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Weiden move the case against him in the Georgia election interference case to federal court, where he is said to have argued he was immune from prosecution.

The judges did not detail their reasoning in a brief order dismissing his appeal, as is customary. There were no publicly noted dissenting opinions.

Meadows was one of 19 people charged in Georgia and accused of participating in an illegal scheme to retain the then-president Donald Trump in power after losing the 2020 elections. Trump was also indicted, although after winning re-election to a second term last week, a trial seems unlikely, at least as long as he remains in office. Both men have denied wrongdoing.

Attorney George Terwilliger said Meadows will continue to defend his innocence in state court and expects to receive an exoneration.

It’s unclear what effect the election results could have on others charged in the case, which has been largely stayed after an appeals court agreed to a review whether you want to delete it Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case.

Meadows had gone to the Supreme Court in an attempt to have the charges thrown out of Georgia’s courts. He argues that the case belongs in federal court because it relates to his duties as a federal official. He pointed to the Supreme Court ruling giving Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution to support his argument.

“A White House Chief of Staff facing criminal charges based on actions related to his work for the President of the United States should not happen in the nick of time – especially now that this court has recognized that federal immunity affects which evidence can be taken into account, and not merely what conduct may form the basis for liability,” his lawyers wrote.

But prosecutors said Meadows failed to show that he performed official duties during the alleged scheme, including participating in a phone call in which Trump suggested that Georgian Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could help “find” votes he needed to win the state.

They argued that the case should remain in the Georgia courts, and that Meadows could raise federal defenses there. Prosecutors have also pushed back against claims that the charges could have a ripple effect on other federal officials.

“His references to the overheated words of op-ed articles cannot suffice to demonstrate that a new era of pervasive persecution of former federal officials is imminent,” government lawyers wrote.

Both a U.S. District Judge and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that this was the case against Meadows and some of his co-defendants must remain in state court. A federal judge did that also refused to move an Arizona fake voter case against him to federal court.

Four people have already pleaded guilty in the Georgia election case after reaching agreements with prosecutors. The remaining fifteen, including Trump and Meadows, have pleaded not guilty.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this story.

Originally published: November 12, 2024 at 8:47 AM CST