A judge ruled on Friday that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is qualified for reelection despite a lawsuit arguing that she should be “constitutionally disqualified from congressional office” because of her role in the Jan. 6 riot, AP reports.
Why it matters: Greene, one of the faces of the Republican party and a staunch Trump supporter, was questioned in court about the insurrection. She repeated the unfounded claim that fraud led to Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, AP writes.
- But Greene also testified that she did not know about plans to violently disrupt Congress’ proceedings as they certified electoral votes.
What they’re saying: “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,” Free Speech for People, who represented the Georgia voters in the lawsuit, said in a statement.
Flashback: The Georgia voters argued that Greene “advocated for political violence, up to and including, her encouragement of insurrectionists on January 6,” Axios’ Erin Doherty writes.
- The legal challenge said Greene violated the 14th Amendment, which says that no one “who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress … shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.”
- Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger helped file the lawsuit, saying Greene “is not qualified to seek and hold the public office.”
What’s next: Raffensperger, who made the final decision, reaffirmed the judge’s ruling and said that Greene was qualified to run for reelection.
- A spokesperson for the Free Speech For People said that the group would appeal the decision.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with Raffensperger accepting the judge’s decision that Greene is qualified to run for reelection.
Source: axios.com