A Georgia judge rejected a lawsuit filed by five voters alleging that Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene engaged in insurrection, making her ineligible to run for re-election in the November midterms.
Free Speech for People, a left-wing advocacy group, filed a lawsuit on behalf of five Georgia voters in March. They claimed that a provision of the 14th Amendment intended to prevent members of the Confederacy from holding elected office also applied to Greene, based on reports that she was involved with the planning of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. However, Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot ruled Friday that Free Speech for People failed to prove Greene’s involvement in the riot.
“Whatever the exact parameters of the meaning of ‘engage’ as used in the 14th Amendment, and assuming for these purposes that the Invasion was an insurrection, Challengers have produced insufficient evidence to show that Rep. Greene ‘engaged’ in that insurrection after she took the oath of office on January 3, 2021,” he wrote, according to the Associated Press.
A judge in Georgia has found that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene can run for reelection, rejecting arguments from a group of voters who had challenged her eligibility over allegations that she engaged in insurrection. https://t.co/PCLQTGXBsR
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 6, 2022
Greene had requested a preliminary injunction to prevent the case from going to trial, but a federal judge rejected her motion. During the trial, Greene testified that she never called for violence, and that her invocation of the year 1776 was not a call for revolution. (RELATED: ‘You’re A Liar’: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene And Jim Acosta Get Into Near Shouting Match Over Her Alleged Text Messages)
Beaudrot added that Greene’s “public statements and heated rhetoric” are protected by the First Amendment. His ruling is not binding on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is ultimately responsible for determining whether or not Greene may seek re-election. Georgia will hold primary elections on May 24, and Greene has five Republican challengers.
Free Speech for People has filed similar legal challenges against Republican Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, and Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona. The Cawthorn challenge was thrown out of court on March 4, and the challenges to Gosar and Biggs are ongoing. The Indiana Election Commission unanimously rejected a similar lawsuit filed against Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks filed by a Democratic challenger in February.
“Democrats have seen how hard I fight for America First values with Republicans in the minority, so they are absolutely terrified to see me with the power of the majority,” Greene said in a statement Friday afternoon.
“I applaud Judge Charles Beaudrot on his correct ruling and look forward to winning big on May 24th,” she added.