Topline
A group of Georgia voters can proceed with their legal efforts seeking to bar Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from running for re-election, a federal judge ruled on Monday, clearing the path for one of the most high profile efforts to disqualify Republican leaders who allegedly backed or played a role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) walks in front of the US Supreme Court, in Washington, DC.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In her ruling, federal judge Amy Totenberg denied Greene’s request seeking a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against the legal effort.
The judge ruled that Green had failed to meet the “burden of persuasion” in seeking such an “extraordinary and drastic” remedy to halt the effort.
Greene’s lawyer James Bopp Jr. said the ruling was flawed and the legal effort to block her from running for re-election was “fundamentally antidemocratic,” the New York Times reported.
The case against Greene is being pursued by a non-partisan group called Free Speech for People, which accuses Green of either helping plan the attack or the demonstration in Washington that led to the attack.
Key Background
The effort to disqualify Green from running for re-election is part of a broader push against congressional Republicans, who have drawn scrutiny for allegedly offering their support to Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021 in an effort to overturn the election. Greene has repeatedly dismissed allegations that she was in any way involved in helping or supporting the attackers, with her lawyer noting that she has even “publicly and vigorously” condemned it. The legal effort against Greene is attempting to invoke the 14th Amendment of the Constitution which was put in place to block members of the Confederacy holding office following the Civil War.
Crucial Quote
Michael Rasbury, one of the five Georgia voters represented in the lawsuit against Greene said: “Everything I’ve read says Rep. Greene was involved in the Jan. 6th insurrection that was trying to override everything I believe in – Our Constitution, how we run elections, and how our government is set up. She should not be on the ballot.”
Further Reading
Effort to Remove Marjorie Taylor Greene From Ballot Can Proceed, Judge Says (New York Times)
