Judge Thomas temporarily blocks Graham’s Georgia grand jury subpoena

The South Carolina Republican’s lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to grant an emergency stay so Graham would not be forced to testify while the legal issues are still being worked out. Thomas’ order on Monday will temporarily delay proceedings in the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as the High Court continues to work on Graham’s request and his attorneys appeal the subpoena.

Prosecutors in the Fulton County inquiry requested Graham’s testimony during a post-2020 election call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who the senator claimed in court papers that he is. acted as a legislative inquiry and would be protected from questioning by speech and debate. article of the Constitution. But Raffensperger said Graham asked him about throwing ballots during the call.

Although Thomas’ order temporarily delays Graham’s compelled testimony, it is not the final answer to his urgent request to stop the subpoena. The judge, a President George HW Bush appointee, can always choose to grant Graham’s request on his own, but these high-profile cases usually go to the full court for action.