GA Judge Rules Marjorie Taylor Greene Can Remain On Ballot
A judge in Georgia on Friday found that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is qualified to run for reelection, concluding that a group of voters who had challenged her eligibility failed to prove she engaged in insurrection after taking office.
But the decision will ultimately be up to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
The challenge to Greene’s eligibility was filed by voters who allege the GOP congresswoman played a significant role in the January 6, 2021, riot that disrupted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. That puts her in violation of a seldom-invoked part of the 14th Amendment having to do with insurrection and makes her ineligible to run for reelection, they argued.
New texts obtained by CNN reveal #MarjorieTaylorGreene discussed with Trump’s former Chief of Staff the possibility of invoking #MartialLaw ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden.
Last Friday, she claimed under oath to "not recall" the details of this or related conversations. pic.twitter.com/ATic8aCS4b
— FreeSpeechForPeople (@FSFP) April 25, 2022
State Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot held a daylong hearing in April that included arguments from lawyers for the voters and for Greene, as well as extensive questioning of Greene herself where she claimed not to recall many of her own texts and messages despite being shown them by the petitioners. Georgia State law says Beaudrot must now submit his findings to Raffensperger, who has to decide whether Greene should be removed from the ballot.
Marjorie Taylor Greene was not disqualified from running for re-election, but I will still be making her a one-term Congresswoman on November 8th.
— Marcus Flowers (@Marcus4Georgia) May 6, 2022
Free Speech For People‘s Edward Erikson released a statement soon after the judge’s decision, which reads in part:
Raskin goes off on Marjorie Taylor Greene: Gentlelady talked about a massive invasion. We had a massive invasion of our own chamber and she continued to be a cheerleader for the insurrection pic.twitter.com/SOAPOxWkht
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 28, 2022
Ron Fein, a lawyer for the voters who filed the challenge, noted during the April 22nd hearing on the challenge that in a TV interview the day before the attack at the U.S. Capitol, Greene said the next day would be “our 1776 moment.” Lawyers for the voters said some supporters of then-President Donald Trump used that reference to the American Revolution as a call to violence. “In fact, it turned out to be an 1861 moment,” Fein said, alluding to the start of the Civil War.
Who else thinks Marjorie Taylor Greene should have been disqualified from running for reelection?
— Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) May 6, 2022
Once Raffensperger makes his decision, either side has 10 days to appeal it in Fulton County Superior Court. Raffensperger is facing a primary challenge of his own on the May 24th ballot after he refused to bend to pressure from Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia. Raffensperger has decried the Capitol attack, writing in his book that he found it “highly objectionable” that “people are now trying to minimize what happened on January 6.”