A federal judge has denied an effort by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) to move a case involving Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s decision to certify the state’s 2020 election results to federal court.
The lawsuit, filed by three Republican leaders in the state, sought to invalidate the certification of the election results based on alleged irregularities and discrepancies in the way votes were counted. Meadows sought to move the case to federal court, arguing that the case raised federal issues and was outside the jurisdiction of state court.
However, Judge Eleanor L. Ross of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia denied the motion, finding that it was “unpersuasive and that the issues presented by Plaintiffs do not raise any federal question called for by a clear federal law or U.S. Constitution.” She further held that the case belonged in state court and that the issues raised by the suit were “more properly handled” by the state court system.
As such, the case will remain in state court, where it can be heard and decided on the merits. This means that Meadows’ attempt to move the case to federal court has failed. Regardless of the outcome of the state court case, the results of the 2020 election in Georgia are unlikely to be overturned by the courts.
