ATLANTA – A Georgia state senator has been taken into custody after he defied an order banning him from the House chambers during Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State Address.
Last year, state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, was banished from setting foot on the Georgia House floor. After attempting to get into the chamber, Moore was removed by the Georgia State Patrol.
State Sen. Colton Moore arrested
What we know:
Thursday, FOX 5 cameras were rolling as Moore tried to enter the chamber and was blocked by the doorkeeper of the house.
“This is a joint session of the General Assembly. Your House rules do not apply,” Moore told the man. “I’m going into the chamber.”
After struggling to get in, Moore was pushed to the ground. He was then surrounded by members of the Georgia State Patrol.
What we don’t know:
Moore’s attorney confirmed that the senator was arrested and taken to the Fulton County Jail.
Moore was released a few hours later on Thursday afternoon and gave a statement outside of Fulton County Jail. It is not known what charges Moore may be facing.
The backstory:
In March 2024, Moore was forbidden from entering the House chambers after making disparaging comments about late House Speaker David Ralston.
While the Georgia Senate considered a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia in Ralston’s memory. Moore urged senators not to approve the name change and blasted Ralston’s work as a lawyer and politician.
“This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime,” exclaimed Moore, as some of Ralston’s relatives watched from the Senate balcony.
His statements were heavily attacked by senators on both sides of the aisle. The room was filled with visible whispering and visible reactions of disbelief.
A short time later, Ralston’s successor, Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington, denounced Moore’s remarks as “some of the vilest that you can make about a good man” and ordered the House doorkeepers to bar Moore from entering.
On X on Wednesday, Moore said that he would defy the ban to attend the Georgia General Assembly’s joint session and Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State Address.
“I will NEVER back down,” Moore wrote. “I will ALWAYS speak the truth and represent the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted America First Senator.”
The senator called Burns a “tyrant” and said that the ban was censorship of his voice as an elected official.
Moore had previously been kicked out of the Senate Republican caucus after attacking fellow Republicans for not taking up a special session in 2023 to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over the county’s indictment of President-elect Donald Trump.
Why was Moore denied admission?
The other side:
Responding to the arrest, Georgia Republican chairman Josh McKoon said that he was “deeply disappointed” that Moore was denied admission to the chamber and “shocked” that he was taken into custody.
“It was not only legally appropriate to admit him to today’s proceedings — it was simply the right thing to do,” McKoon wrote in a statement to FOX 5. “Our focus should be on the excellent agenda being outlined by Governor Kemp today to continue to make Georgia the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family — not internal conflicts.”
Speaker Jon Burns, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones reacts
What they’re saying:
Speaker Jon Burns released a statement Thursday afternoon:
“The situation outside of the House Chamber this morning was incredibly unfortunate. The Senator refused to cooperate with doorkeepers and law enforcement, and created a dangerous situation when he chose to use force against our law enforcement officers, dedicated doorkeepers and House staff. I want to thank every House staff member and our entire House family for holding the line to honor Speaker Ralston’s legacy of dedicated service to our state. As you saw today, the integrity and decorum of this House are non-negotiable—period.”
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones released this statement:
“Whatever personal differences Senator Moore has with others, he is a member of the body over which I preside. All elected 56 senators and 180 representatives deserve the opportunity to fulfill their responsibility to attend joint sessions of the General Assembly. There is real work to be done this session and the focus should be on delivering for the people of Georgia instead of personal grievances and egos.”
The Source: Information for this story came from video taken by FOX 5 reporters and previous FOX 5 articles.
