The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition from Mark Meadows, President-elect Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, to move his upcoming trial on election interference in Georgia from state court to federal court.
The high court upheld lower court decisions to deny Mr. Meadows’ request to have his criminal trial conducted in a federal court after he asserted immunity from state-level prosecution due to his status as a federal employee.
He argued that the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause guarantees immunity for actions taken as part of federal functions and that he has a right to defend his federal immunity in federal court.
“For 190 years, that statutory right to remove was uniformly understood by courts to cover both current and former federal officers for actions taken during their tenure,” Mr. Meadows’ lawyers wrote.
Lawyers for Georgia had urged the justices not to grant Mr. Meadows’ petition, saying his actions were not related to his position as a federal employee.
“Petitioner repeatedly admitted to engaging in activities on behalf of the Trump Campaign,” the state’s filing read.
In an unsigned order on Tuesday, the justices refused to get involved. There were no noted dissents.
In August 2023, Fulton County indicted Mr. Trump, Mr. Meadows and 17 others for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The state claims that the defendants violated Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
That case is on hold while an appeals court reviews Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ decision to appoint Nathan Wade as her special prosecutor on the case, as she had a romantic relationship with him. The appeals court is weighing whether to remove Ms. Willis from the case.
Four people pleaded guilty in the Georgia case; the others, including Mr. Meadows and Mr. Trump, pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.