Supreme Court weighs in on Fani Willis' request to delay Mark Meadows case
The U.S. Supreme Court granted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis an extension until Sept. 30 to address an appeal by Donald Trump's former chief of staff.
Mark Meadows reached out to Georgia state officials and even attempted to break into the counting for Fulton County ballots after the 2020 election. He was charged for his involvement, along with 18 others, including Donald Trump, in a sprawling racketeering case.
Willis filed her lawsuit a year ago last week. It stalled after a Trump ally alleged impropriety because Willis dated one of the lawyers later hired.
Meadows asked that his case be heard in federal court instead of state court since he was a federal employee. He lost the bid because he was accused of breaking state law.
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The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with lower-court rulings and Meadows appealed that to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his court filing, Meadows said the ruling was "the first court ‘in the 190-year history of the federal officer removal statute’ to hold that the statute offers no protection to former federal officers facing suit for acts taken while in office."
Conservative Chief Judge William Pryor penned the 11th Circuit opinion in December 2023, rejecting the appeal.
“Even if Meadows were ‘an officer,’ his participation in an alleged conspiracy to overturn a presidential election was not related to his official duties,” Pryor wrote.
The full bench of judges ultimately signed onto the decision.
Meadows is asking that the Arizona case also be taken to federal court, but that has not yet gone to court.