Former U.S. President Donald Trump is considering seeking the transfer of his Georgia criminal case, where he faces allegations of conspiring to overturn the 2020 U.S. election, from state to federal court, according to a court filing made by his lawyer on Thursday (September 7). Trump and his legal team believe that the federal court may be more favorable to his case.
In the brief court filing, Trump’s lawyer, Steven Sadow, stated, “President Trump hereby notifies the Court that he may seek removal of his prosecution to federal court.” Sadow added that “To be timely, his notice of removal must be filed within 30 days of his arraignment.”
Many of the 18 co-defendants of Trump, including his former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have also submitted requests to have their cases moved to federal court since they were charged last month after an investigation led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Trump, who is considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election and will likely face President Joe Biden, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty, a stance shared by the other defendants.
Trump and his co-defendants have been indicted on charges of unlawfully pressuring Georgia election officials to overturn President Biden’s election victory in the state.
Moving the case to federal court could be more advantageous for Trump as it could potentially provide a more diverse jury pool than in Fulton County, which is known as a Democratic stronghold. A federal trial would also allow Trump to argue his immunity from prosecution for actions taken during his tenure as the president.
However, such a move could introduce legal complications that may hinder the prosecution’s goal of trying all 19 defendants together next month. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones is expected to make a decision on the petitions to move the case to federal court in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, Judge Scott McAfee granted a request from former Trump lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell to face trial on October 23, though a decision has not yet been made regarding whether other defendants will join them.
If a judge decides to try all 19 defendants together in federal court due to the petitions filed by Meadows and others, it could potentially lead to further disruption in the case.
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