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Judge Allows Lawsuit Challenging GOP Rep. Greene’s Re-Election Bid

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


An Obama-appointed federal judge has allowed a liberal lawsuit aimed at disqualifying Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for re-election over her role at the U.S. Capitol last January.

“The challenge to Greene’s candidacy was mounted by a group of five voters from her congressional district who argued she is ineligible to run for federal office under a provision of the 14th Amendment that was ratified after the Civil War and meant to keep former Confederate officers and officials from holding public office again,” CBS News reported.

“In a challenge filed with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in late March, the voters argued Greene voluntarily aided and engaged in the January 6 insurrection to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power, thereby disqualifying her from serving as a member of Congress under the constitutional provision,” the report continued.

“Greene asked a federal court in Atlanta to intervene in the effort from the group of voters, seeking a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order. But Judge Amy Totenberg of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia rebuffed Greene’s request, finding she failed to establish a strong likelihood of success on the legal merits of the case,” the report added.

“This case involves a whirlpool of colliding constitutional interests of public import,” Totenberg wrote in her 73-page decision.

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“The novelty of the factual and historical posture of this case — especially when assessed in the context of a preliminary injunction motion reviewed on a fast track — has made resolution of the complex legal issues at stake here particularly demanding,” the judge added.

James Bopp Jr., Greene’s attorney, has dismissed the lawsuit against his client as “50 pages of newspaper articles, hearsay, and political hyperbole.”

Bopp also warned during the court hearing last week that a ruling against Green could eventually lead to challenges against Donald Trump’s fitness for office.

Greene spoke out against the lawsuit earlier this month.

“This is the same evil playbook the dishonest Communist Democrats use against President Trump and his family.  Now they are using it on me, because they know I’m effective and will not bow to the DC machine,” Greene said.

“As I’ve said many times before, I’m vehemently opposed to all forms of political violence,” she said. “I’ve never encouraged political violence and never will.”

The group that filed the lawsuit, Free Speech for People, an election and campaign finance reform organization, filed a similar lawsuit against Rep. Madison Cawthorn which was blocked by a federal judge.

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In the lawsuit against Rep. Cawthorn, the same group argued that he “was involved in efforts to intimidate Congress and the Vice President into rejecting valid electoral votes and subvert the essential constitutional function of an orderly and peaceful transition of power.”

Federal Judge Richard Myers, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, issued a temporary injunction against the lawsuit.

“This ruling, by Chief Judge Richard Myers II, a Trump appointee, is wrong on the law and would block the State Board of Elections from determining whether Cawthorn is ineligible under the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause of the US Constitution.  The ruling must be reversed on appeal, and the right of voters to bring this challenge to Cawthorn’s eligibility must be preserved,” Rob Fein, the legal director of Free Speech For People, said.

And Reps. Greene and Cathorn have also faced hits from their own side in the form of Senate Minority Leader and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell who called them “lonely voices” when he appeared on “Face The Nation” with host Margaret Brennan to talk about aid to Ukraine.

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“You are very clear in your language there, but others in your party have not been. Congresswoman Liz Cheney has said there’s actually a Putin wing of the Republican Party these days. Think she’s referring to Congressman Cawthorn, who called Zelenskyy a thug? Marjorie Taylor Greene said the U.S. should not fund a war the Ukrainians cannot possibly win. Is there any room in the Republican Party for this rhetoric and why isn’t there more discipline?” she said.

The Senate Minority Leader went on to call those Republicans “lonely voices.”

“Well, there are some lonely voices out there that are in a different place, but looking at Senate Republicans, I can tell you that I would have had I been the Majority Leader put this Ukraine supplemental up by itself. I think virtually every one of my members would have voted for it. The vast majority of the Republican Party writ large, both in Congress and across the country, are totally behind the Ukrainians and urging the president to do- take these steps quicker. Yeah, to be bolder. So, there may be a few lonely voices off the side. I wouldn’t pay much attention to them,” he said.

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