Judge denies Mark Meadows' request to move Georgia case to federal court

A judge on Friday denied a request by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to move his Georgia criminal case to a federal court.

Meadows, who served as a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, was charged last month along with Trump and 17 others by a Georgia grand jury for allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Meadows had argued that his case should be moved to federal court because he was employed as a federal official at the time of the alleged crimes.

However, U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones of Atlanta denied Meadows' request, writing in his ruling that the former chief of staff was not acting in an official government capacity when he allegedly attempted to overturn the election. Jones added that Meadows had "not shown that the actions that triggered the state's prosecution [were] related to his federal office," writing that his "alleged association with post-election activities was not related to his role as White House chief of staff or his executive branch authority."

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Meadows' attorney later said he would be appealing the ruling. The former chief of staff is facing charges pertaining to violations of Georgia's anti-racketeering laws. He's also charged with solicitation of oath violation regarding a phone call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the exact number of ballots needed to defeat then-President-elect Joe Biden. Meadows has pleaded not guilty.

While Meadows would face the same charges whether he is tried in state or federal court, the latter would likely have given him a more favorable jury pool, The New York Times reported. A federal trial would've also given the case a greater chance of making it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is now unlikely to occur.