Mark Meadows Appeal

Federal Appeals Court Rejects Mark Meadows' Attempt to Pause Georgia Criminal Charges

Meadows Faces Federal Charges Over Capitol Riot

Court Denies Request to Postpone Proceedings

A federal appeals court panel ruled on Monday that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows will not be granted a stay of proceedings in his Georgia criminal case. Meadows is facing charges related to his alleged attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

The Fulton County District Attorney's office is investigating Meadows for his role in a phone call with Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Meadows reportedly urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn the election results.

Meadows had filed a motion to pause the Georgia proceedings until after a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., completes its investigation into the Capitol riot. However, the appeals court rejected this request, stating that the federal and state investigations are separate matters.

"The district court did not err in concluding that the Georgia criminal proceedings should not be stayed during the pendency of the federal criminal investigation," the court wrote in its ruling.

Meadows' attorneys have argued that the federal investigation should take precedence because it is broader in scope and could potentially lead to federal charges being filed against him. However, the appeals court found that this argument was not persuasive.

"The federal criminal investigation is not a substitute for the state criminal proceedings," the court wrote. "The Georgia criminal proceedings are based on allegations of specific crimes that were allegedly committed within the jurisdiction of the State of Georgia."

Meadows is scheduled to appear in Fulton County Superior Court on March 16 for a hearing on the charges against him.