Steve Jones, a US District Court Judge, is overseeing the pivotal decision regarding whether to move the cases of Fulton County defendants to the federal court system. During a hearing on Monday, Judge Jones did not immediately rule on the motion made by Mark Meadows, a defendant in the case. The decision will determine whether Meadows' state criminal charges will be transferred to federal court.

Both the judge and prosecutors are closely monitoring statements made by former President Trump and his team outside of court. While there is no restriction on Trump's ability to make comments, prosecutors have made it clear that such public statements will be taken into consideration during arguments to the judge. During the hearing, prosecutor Molly Gaston confronted Trump's attorney, John Lauro, with his own public statements about the indictment.

Judge Jones runs a tight ship and is focused on ensuring a fair trial. He stated that he would rule as quickly as possible so that arraignments scheduled for September 6 can proceed smoothly. Chutkan, another judge involved in the case, emphasized the importance of maintaining a fair jury pool. Meadows' legal battle to move his case to federal court is being closely watched, as it could potentially have implications for Trump's case as well.