Spectators cheer Greene as she enters Georgia courtroom

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was met with a round of applause on Friday as she entered a Georgia courtroom ahead of a hearing to determine whether she will be able to appear on the primary ballot next month.

Several observers burst into cheers and applause in a state administrative courtroom as Greene took her seat. 

The hearing comes as part of a legal challenge by a group of Georgia voters, who argue that a provision of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment – known as the “disqualification clause – effectively prohibits Greene from holding federal office because of her alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. 

That clause, which was passed in the wake of the Civil War, bans any person from holding federal office who has previously taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and who has “engaged in insurrection” against the United States.

A federal judge on Monday night allowed that legal challenge to proceed. Greene, one of former President Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress, has denied playing any role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and is appealing that decision.

Early voting in Georgia’s May 17 primaries begins on May 2, meaning that the judge will face a tight turnaround in deciding whether Greene can appear on the ballot.