Former President Donald Trump will not attempt to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court, his lawyer said in a court filing Thursday.
The decision comes weeks after the 77-year-old former president’s attorney, Steve Sadow, notified Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee that Trump “may seek removal of his prosecution to federal court.”
Trump faced a Sept. 30 deadline – 30 days after his arraignment – to request such a move.
“President Trump now notifies the Court that he will NOT be seeking to remove his case to federal court,” Sadow wrote in Thursday’s court filing. “This decision is based on his well-founded confidence that this Honorable Court intends to fully completely protect his constitutional right to a fair trial and guarantee him due process of law throughout the prosecution of his case in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia.”
Before Thursday’s filing, Sadow was reportedly present at court hearings for Trump co-defendants who have petitioned for their cases to be removed from Fulton County.
Five of Trump’s 18 co-defendants – former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still and former Coffee County GOP Chairwoman Cathy Latham – have sought to have their cases tried in federal court.
Meadows had argued that he was being charged in connection with actions he took during his official duties as a federal employee, and that federal court was the proper venue to hear the case – where he would likely seek immunity.
US District Judge Steve Jones ruled against Meadows, 64, earlier this month, arguing that his official duties “did not include working with or working for the Trump campaign.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been staunchly opposed to efforts made by Meadows and the other co-defendants to have their cases removed from her purview.
The 13-count Fulton County grand jury indictment against Trump accuses the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, filing false documents, making false statements and asking a public official to violate their oath of office so he could remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges last month.
