Judge rules evidence against Rep. Greene insufficient
An administrative law judge ruled that the challengers to the candidacy of 14th District Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene “failed to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence,” in an order released Friday.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who had the final say on Judge Charles R. Beaudrot’s ruling, upheld the judge’s decision late Friday afternoon.
The challenge to her candidacy, filed by the nonprofit Free Speech for People, contends that Greene should be 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.
During a hearing on April 22, Greene largely denied having knowledge that the attack on the Capitol was going to happen. She repeatedly claimed she did not recall events or statements codified on social media during the hours long hearing before Judge Beaudrot.
During that hearing, Greene’s attorney stated she was a victim of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack and sheltered at the Capitol alongside other legislators. Their argument has been that Greene’s speech is protected by the constitution and has not incited violence.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, adopted by Congress shortly after the Civil War, prohibits members of Congress from seeking reelection if they have tried to overthrow the government. At the time, the provision was aimed at those who had fought for the South during the Civil War.
Following Judge Beaudrot’s order, attorneys from Free Speech for People sent a following letter to Raffensperger urging him to reject the decision.
“This decision betrays the fundamental purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause and gives a pass to political violence as a tool for disrupting and overturning free and fair elections...” the letter read. “We urge Secretary Raffensperger to take a fresh look at the evidence presented in the case and reject the judge’s recommendation. Marjorie Taylor Greene helped facilitate the January 6 insurrection, and under the Constitution, she is disqualified from future office.”