ATLANTA — Three people indicted in the presidential election interference case fought to get their cases moved to federal court Wednesday.
Attorneys for Cathy Latham, Shawn Still and David Shafer presented arguments in front of the Hon. Steve Jones in the Northern District of Georgia’s courthouse in downtown Atlanta.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Cross presented arguments against their request. She did not give opening statements. So, attorneys for the three defendants took the floor first.
They each took the judge back to the last presidential election.
Shafer was Chairman of Georgia’s Republican Party. Latham was GOP Chair in Coffee County. Still was a business owner at the time.
All three were nominees for the Republican Party Electoral College.
Cross reminded the judge only the party that wins the popular vote submits an electoral college ballot.
However, this group still submitted a ballot even though Trump did not win the popular vote in Georgia.
Defense attorneys said that’s because Shafer and Trump filed a lawsuit contesting the election, and that lawsuit was pending. In order to avoid further confusion, the trio submitted their electoral college ballot.
“They had never dreamed they’d done anything wrong,” Still’s attorney Tom Bever said.
Cross fired back, arguing it was all part of the attempt to throw the state election system into chaos.
She said the election was certified. She said even if they won the election contest lawsuit, Georgia law requires a new election.
Defense attorneys disagreed. They said the process would involve Congress. Congress would decide which electoral slate matters.
“Congress makes that decision,” said Holly Pierson, Shafer’s attorney.
“They were not electors at all,” Cross said. “Real electors are state officials.”
She said the case belongs in Fulton County Court where the 19 people were indicted.
Defense attorneys said since this involved a presidential election, it falls under the federal court level.
Jones said he hopes to have a decision by Monday.
Earlier this month, a judge denied Mark Meadow’s request to move to federal court.