Greene candidacy challenge gets green light
A U.S. District Court judge has denied an attempt by 14th District Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to block a longshot challenge to her candidacy.
What that means is the challenge will now go before Administrative Law Judge Charles R. Beaudrot on Friday. Once the judge makes a decision it the case it will be forwarded to Georgia Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger to make the final decision.
The challenge, filed with the Georgia secretary of state’s office by the nonprofit
Free Speech for People, contends that Greene should be constitutionally disqualified from holding public office.
The accusation alleges she helped facilitate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol which, the group contends, should constitutionally bar her from office.
Northern District of Georgia Judge Amy Totenberg wrote in the order that the challenge raises “complex constitutional issues of public interest” and ruled that it has grounds to proceed.
Greene has not been charged with any crime relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, incident. A similar complaint, also filed by the same group involves North Carolina U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn was dismissed in federal court. That dismissal is currently under appeal.
Essentially, Cawthorn’s argument states that a Civil War amnesty law passed in 1872 still applies and shields Cawthorn from being disqualified over his role in the insurrection. Greene presented the same argument in the federal challenge.
Judge Totenberg disagreed with the Cawthorn ruling, stating the ruling only applies to past conduct at the time of the legislation.