Trump Signals He'll Try to Move Georgia Case to Federal Court

New filing says he 'may' do so, which could improve his chances at trial
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2023 6:55 PM CDT
Trump Signals He'll Try to Move Georgia Case to Federal Court
Former President Donald Trump.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Donald Trump is widely expected to try to move his Georgia case from state to federal court, and a new legal filing includes the strongest signal yet that he intends to do so. "President Trump hereby notifies the Court that he may seek removal of his prosecution to federal court," wrote attorney Steve Sadow in the brief filing, per the Hill. The former president has a few weeks to meet the deadline for a final decision, reports CNN. Such a move still would not allow Trump to pardon himself should he win re-election, most legal analysts say, but it would likely bring some upsides to his case.

For one thing, the jury would come not from Atlanta's Fulton County but from a broader area that has more Republican voters. For another, the trial almost certainly would not be televised or live-streamed, as would happen in state court. Much remains up in the air about the timing of the Georgia case, including when the trial or trials would begin, and whether Trump would be tried with other co-defendants and, if so, how many. (Trump's potential argument that his trial belongs in federal court because the case stems from his time in office faces a complication—prosecutors says his actions continued even after he was out of office.)

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