Mark Meadows’ Effort to Move Arizona Election Case to Federal Court Denied
Mark Meadows, who served as the chief of staff for former President Donald Trump from 2020 to 2021, faced a setback in his legal challenges as the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona denied his attempt to shift the Arizona fake elector case to a federal court. The court ruled that Meadows failed to meet the 30-day statutory deadline for filing the removal.
Although there exists a “good cause” exception under 18 USC §1442 that allows courts to excuse late filings, the court found Meadows’ reasons insufficient to justify the 18-day delay. His legal team argued that the delay was due to efforts to persuade Arizona officials not to press charges and awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity in the Trump v. United States case. However, Judge John J. Tuchi determined that these reasons did not meet the necessary criteria.
Even if Meadows had filed on time, the court indicated that his request would have likely been unsuccessful on substantive grounds. The judge ruled that Meadows failed to demonstrate that the state’s charges were related to his official duties as White House chief of staff. To move the case, Meadows needed to show he acted as a federal officer under federal authority with a direct connection between his actions and his official role.
Meadows is accused of working with Republican operatives in Arizona to overturn the 2020 election results. He maintained that his actions, including facilitating communication with Trump about the election, were part of his official duties. However, Judge Tuchi rejected this argument, asserting that the indictment did not accuse Meadows of just facilitating communications but rather of orchestrating an illegal election scheme.
Judge Tuchi stressed that while federal charges against an officer inevitably involve their awareness of events, federal jurisdiction must be based on specific allegations rather than broad generalities.
Indicted on nine felony counts in Arizona in April 2024 alongside 17 others, Meadows faces similar legal challenges in Georgia, where his attempt to transfer the case to federal court was also denied. His legal team has not yet commented on the recent decision.
