Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson tossed an effort to remove Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones (R) from office on Friday. Jones told The Georgia Star News in a statement that he was happy to put the “ridiculous political attack” behind him.
The lawsuit was launched by a group that argued Jones “is an insurrectionist against the Constitution of the United States of America” due to his role as an alternative elector, which his lawyer argued in court was to preserve former President Donald Trump’s legal challenge of the election results in 2020.
Jones (pictured above) told The Star News, “Democrat activists in Georgia are trying to use the legal system to overrule the will of the voters, just like liberal activists in places like Colorado and Maine are trying to do to President Trump.”
“I’m glad to see the court throw out this ridiculous political attack,” said Jones.
He added, “I’ll continue to fight for common-sense conservative policies and will never back down in the face of attacks from the radical left.”
In his four-page ruling, Wilson determined the Georgia statute and legal precedents cited by the plaintiffs did not withstand scrutiny, failed to make the case that Jones should be removed from office, and the plaintiffs demonstrated no ability to “show that they could introduce evidence” that would justify Jones’ removal and “are not entitled to relief” from the court.
Jones previously told The Star News that Democrats were attempting to use the courts “to accomplish what the political system could not: Democrat control in Georgia” after reports emerged that Wilson was “skeptical” of the plaintiffs’ argument. His staff also provided voting records indicating those behind the lawsuit were regular voters in Georgia’s Democratic primary contests.
Jones has regularly compared the issue to legal actions taken against Trump, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution acknowledged the lawsuit was “part of a coordinated effort by Democrats to disqualify Trump and key allies by invoking Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” which is a post-Civil War legal mechanism designed to prevent former Confederate leaders from attaining power within the United States government.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) was barred from investigating Jones as part of her racketeering case against Trump, and The New York Times reported on Thursday that an investigator has still not been appointed by Prosecuting Attorneys’ Counsel of Georgia head Peter Skandalakis to investigate Jones.
Despite Willis being barred from investigating Jones, the special grand jury she summoned recommended Jones be indicted by her office.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Burt Jones” by Burt Jones.
