Challenge over Marjorie Taylor Greene’s eligibility fails

Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at Rally in Florida. —
Screen grab from C-Span video.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is eligible to run for reelection to Congress, a judge in Atlanta ruled Friday, rejecting a bid to remove her over actions tied to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Opponents had filed suit, according to Digital Journal, arguing that the conservative Greene should be ineligible because, they say, she is guilty of “insurrection” with regard to the Capitol riot. State Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot heard the case on April 22, 2022.

The administrative judge in Greene’s case, Charles Beaudrot took over a week to make his decision, making a recommendation to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for the final say on Greene’s candidacy. Raffensperger is also up this year for reelection.

Judge Beaudrot issued a decision on Friday, May 6, that Green was eligible to run, finding the voters hadn’t produced sufficient evidence to back their claims, reports the Associated Press.

After Raffensperger adopted the judge’s decision, the group that filed the complaint on behalf of the voters vowed to appeal.

Raffensperger is being challenged by a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump in the state’s May 24 GOP primary after he refused to bend to pressure from Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia. Raffensperger could have faced a huge blowback from right-wing voters if he had disagreed with Beaudrot’s findings.

Raffensperger wrote in his “final decision” that typical challenges to a candidate’s eligibility have to do with questions about residency or whether they have paid their taxes. Such challenges are allowed under a procedure outlined in Georgia law.

“In this case, Challengers assert that Representative Greene’s political statements and actions disqualify her from office,” Raffensperger’s decision said. “That is rightfully a question for the voters of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.”

Greene applauded Beaudrot’s decision and called the challenge to her eligibility an “unprecedented attack on free speech, on our elections, and on you, the voter.”

“But the battle is only beginning,” she said in a statement, according to Yahoo News. “The left will never stop their war to take away our freedoms.” She added, “This ruling gives me hope that we can win and save our country.”