Federal judge rejects bids to halt Georgia prosecution of Trump aides over 2020 election
Federal judge rejects bids to halt Georgia prosecution of Trump aides over 2020 election
Mark Meadows and Jeffrey Clark had both pleaded with the judge to prohibit District Attorney Fani Willis from arresting them by a Friday deadline.
Mark Meadows and Jeffrey Clark had both pleaded with the judge to prohibit District Attorney Fani Willis from arresting them by a Friday deadline.
This makes me think they're fully aware they'll never get a pardon from Georgia.
which is why they want it moved to federal court in the first place. That, or they think the federal system will be more sympathetic or something.
Removing to federal court doesn't change the pardon rules. The charges remain state charges. A trial in GA will be televised by default. Federal courts don't allow cameras by default, but a federal judge may deem that the public interest is best served by televising it, and may make an exception. The difference in the jury pool is something, too.
The difference in the jury pool is something, too.
The difference being the jury pool would be selected from the federal district which is overall deeper red than just Fulton county where Atlanta metro is, and which tends to be deeper blue.
Federal court only changes the venue and jury pool, it doesn't change the charges which are still state crimes.
The only effective difference would be it wouldn't be televised.
"But if any of the defendants are looking for a presidential pardon by moving the Georgia case to federal court, experts say that will be an unlikely advantage because they would still be charged and tried on state charges, which are not eligible.
“What a federal court is going to have to do is it’s going to have to enforce substantive state law,” Carter said. “And so they’d still remain the same state charges, they’d still be presumably in state custody if they were to be convicted, and it would mean that the president couldn’t pardon, because the president’s pardon power only applies to the federal system.”"
Federal prosecutors may already have cut a deal with them (or with Meadows at least). They may feel that after attempting to murder American democracy, the deal they cut with the feds to betray their former allies and escape serious consequences needs to be sacrosanct and protect them, and that to do otherwise isn't fair and ethical.
If I were a character in the ending to a Roald Dahl short story, I'd get close up to their face and say with a maniacal grin, "Look who's talking! Look who's talking!"
I could be wrong but I believe Ms. Willis remains the prosecutor even if it gets moved. So any deals they cut with federal prosecutors are irrelevant. It basically just means it won't be on TV.
Presidents can’t pardon state cases.
