Following a recent indictment in Georgia related to major interference in the 2020 election, several noteworthy motions have been filed. Among them is an attempt by defendant Mark Meadows, former White House Chief of Staff, to transfer his state criminal charges to federal court. This move came less than 24 hours after the indictment and Meadows argues that he was simply fulfilling his duties in his White House role.
Mr. Meadows would go on to follow up his removal notice with a motion to dismiss under the Supremacy Clause; he would also issue a notice to the court specifying that he did not agree with a third-party request to postpone the scheduled hearing on his removal motion.
Further into the spectacle, David Shafer, the former Georgia GOP chair who allegedly played a part in coordinating the controversial scheme of ‘fake electors’ in collaboration with the Trump campaign, has also filed his own notice of removal asserting federal jurisdiction “as a matter of right”.
Furthermore, Jeff Clark, a former DOJ attorney, lodged his own notice of removal and an “Emergency Motion to Confirm Applicability of Automatic Stay Under 28 U.S.C. § 1446(D) or the Triggering of the Stay in 28 U.S.C. § 1455(B)(5) or Both — or in the Alternative for an Administrative Stay.” Clark advocates for the treatment of the removed case as a “civil-criminal hybrid action,” warranting an automatic stay of civil proceedings.
Meanwhile, amid this flurry of legal actions, Judge Steven Jones, assigned to all three cases, has yet to grant any immediate relief to the defendants, choosing instead to order the Fulton County DA to respond.
The details of these cases, as well as any related legal developments, can be found on Court Listener (refer to docket listings for State of Georgia v. Meadows, State of Georgia v. Clark, and State of Georgia v. Shafer). It remains to be seen whether these unusual legal moves will result in any form of reprieve for the defendants.