Undeterred by a previous setback, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is back swinging, petitioning for a full-court hearing on his bid to move the racketeering case against him from Fulton County, Georgia to federal court. This latest gambit comes after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his initial argument last month.
Meadows, along with nearly 20 other individuals, faces charges connected to a sprawling racketeering case leveled in August. The legal saga centers around allegations of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, a state where then-President Donald Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden.
The crux of Meadows’ argument rests on the claim that his alleged conduct falls under the scope of his official duties as White House Chief of Staff, thus granting him the right to have the case tried in federal court. However, the previous appeals panel did not buy it, ruling that his actions “were not part of any legitimate function of the [White House] office.”
Undeterred, Meadows is now upping the ante, requesting an “en banc” hearing before all 12 judges of the conservative 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. This rare maneuver, reserved for cases of exceptional importance, seeks to overturn the prior panel’s decision.
Whether the full court will grant Meadows’ petition remains to be seen. Legal experts note that while challenging, en banc hearings are rarely successful, highlighting the difficulty of convincing all 12 judges to revisit the lower court’s ruling.
Meanwhile, the racketeering case in Fulton County is set to move forward, with a potential pre-trial hearing scheduled for February. The prospect of an “en banc” hearing could potentially delay the proceedings, but given the rarity of such interventions, the case is likely to continue on its current course.
Meadows’ legal battle reflects the broader political and legal wrangling surrounding the 2020 election and efforts to overturn its results. His attempts to shift the case to federal court, and potentially delay its progress, add another layer of complexity to an already intricate legal drama.
As the court weighs Meadows’ request, the racketeering case continues to cast a long shadow over the events of 2020. Whether Meadows will ultimately secure his desired move to federal court, or face the charges head-on in Fulton County, remains a critical question in this ongoing saga.
