ATLANTA — A Georgia judge on Friday decided U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is eligible for reelection and can remain on District 14 ballots.

The opinion by Presiding Judge Charles Beaudrot of the Office of State Administrative Hearings said voters challenging Greene’s candidacy failed to provide sufficient evidence Greene “engaged” in insurrection, which was the basis of the challenge filed on behalf of District 14 voters and Freedom Speech for the People, a nonprofit political advocacy group.

Per Georgia code, the final determination was ultimately left to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who adopted Beaudrot’s decision hours later. Early voting has already began in Georgia’s May 24 primary election, where Greene is facing five Republican challengers.

Residents from Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, where Greene is seeking to be reelected, filed the challenge March 24 claiming she is not eligible for the seat due to her involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection of the Capitol.

The challenge against her candidacy claimed Greene violated the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which, in part, states: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress … who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

Attorneys who presented the challenge on behalf of Freedom Speech for the People, argued Greene promoted and incited action that day through statements made on her public social media accounts, videos and interviews.

Just before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, former President Donald Trump and supporters rallied nearby in protest of 2020 election results that certified Trump’s defeat.

Prior to that day, Greene promoted the rally testifying she intended it to be a “peaceful” march and was not asking attendees to engage in violence or any type of action.

After the march, which she did not participate in, Greene said she was planning to object to the certification of the November 2020 election. She agreed with Trump and his supporters on the baseless claim that fraudulent votes had been cast in the election.

Opposing attorneys frequently referenced comments made by Greene that Jan. 6, 2021 is “our 1776 moment.”

Greene agreed during her testimony the American Revolutionary War was violent but said her references to 1776 aren’t meant to be violent.

“I was talking about the courage to object (to the electoral votes),” Greene said on the stand, adding she had never heard of 1776 being used as a code word for violence, as referenced by a “Proud Boys” document related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack.

Plaintiff attorneys also questioned statements made by Greene stating, “You can’t allow it to transfer power peacefully” and “violence may be necessary” to keep Trump in power. Greene said she did not recall the context of the statements as attorneys only played partial video clips of her statements. She also couldn’t recall text messages she allegedly sent advocating for martial law.

Greene, represented by attorney James Bopp, said she was scared and shocked as she was locked inside the House chambers of the Capitol during the attack. During the attack, she posted a video on her Twitter account, encouraging those infiltrating the Capitol to remain calm and have a “peaceful protest.” Bopp argued that Greene was a victim that day.

Beaudrot’s opinion questioned whether the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol amounted to an “insurrection,” though he did call the event despicable and among the saddest and most tragic days in American history.

Following Beaudrot’s decision, Greene said called the challenge against her a Democrat-led attack on “free speech, on our elections, and on you, the voter.”

“Democrats know they can’t beat me at the ballot box, so left-wing Communist activists tried to RIP my name off the ballot,” Greene said. “Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election by abusing and breaking our laws. Thankfully this attempt to rig another election was stopped in its tracks.”{div dir=”auto”}Greene provided no evidence to support her false claims of a stolen 2020 election or for election rigging in her prepared statement. {/div} {div dir=”auto”} {/div} {div dir=”auto”}In his final decision affirming Beaudrot’s ruling, Raffensperger said typical candidate challenges submitted to the state secretary raise questions as to a candidate’s residency or whether that have paid taxes. {/div} {div dir=”auto”} {/div} {div dir=”auto”}”In this case, Challengers assert that Representative Greene’s political statements and actions disqualify her from office,” stated Raffensperger, who is also up for reelection. “That is rightfully a question for the voters of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.” {/div}