11th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Ruling that Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Must Face State Election Interference Charges in State Court

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a district judge’s ruling that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows must fight the state election interference charges against him in state court.

In August, Meadows had sought to have his case removed from state court to a federal venue, citing a federal law that allows U.S. officers to move civil actions or criminal prosecutions in state court to a federal venue if the alleged actions were taken “under color” of their government office.

However, Chief Judge William Pryor wrote in a 35-page opinion that the statute allowing federal officials to move their case to federal court from state court “does not apply to former officers.”

The court’s decision is a blow to Meadows, who had argued that his alleged conduct was related to his official duties in the Trump administration.

The charges against Meadows stem from a lawsuit filed by the Georgia Democratic Party in August, which alleged that Meadows and other Trump allies sought to interfere with the state’s 2020 election by pressuring state officials to overturn the results of the election.

Meadows has denied the allegations and has yet to enter a plea in the case. It is unclear when the case will proceed in state court.