On Monday a federal judge in the Northern District of Georgia ruled that a group of voters seeking to disqualify Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for reelection can proceed.
A challenge filed last month with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office claims Marjorie facilitated the insurrection of January 6, violating a provision of the 14th Amendment known as the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause that would make her ineligible.
Georgia law says any voter who is eligible to vote for a candidate may challenge that candidate’s qualifications by filing a written complaint within two weeks after the deadline for qualifying. The secretary of state must then notify the candidate of the challenge and request a hearing before an administrative law judge. After holding a hearing, the administrative law judge presents findings to the secretary of state, who then must determine whether the candidate is qualified.
Judge Amy Totenberg, an Obama appointee, denied Greene’s request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order.
The group behind the effort, Free Speech For People, was also involved in the effort to disqualify Madison Cawthorn. That effort was blocked by a Trump appointed judge who ruled that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution narrowly applied to members of the Confederacy after the Civil War.
It also appears that Marjorie may be the first Congressperson to be forced to testify under oath about January 6.
Legal director for Free Speech for People said this:
“Judge Totenberg’s well-reasoned opinion explains why the Georgia voters who filed this challenge against Greene have the right to have their challenge heard, and why none of Greene’s objections to the Georgia state challenge have any merit,” Mr. Fein said. “At the hearing on Friday, we look forward to questioning Greene under oath about her involvement in the events of Jan. 6, and to demonstrating how her facilitation of the insurrection disqualifies her from public office under the United States Constitution.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic challenger to Marjorie has outraised her for the last two quarters.