State Senator Arrested at Georgia Capitol While Trying to Enter House Chamber

ATLANTA – A Georgia state senator has been taken into custody after defying an order barring him from the House chambers during Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address.

Last year, state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, was banned from setting foot on the Georgia House floor. After attempting to enter the chamber, Moore was removed by the Georgia State Patrol.

What we know:

On Thursday, FOX 5 cameras were rolling as Moore tried to enter the chamber and was blocked by the house’s doorman.

“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 the senator was arrested and taken to the Fulton County Jail.

It is not known what charges Moore is facing.

The backstory:

In March 2024, Moore was banned from the House chambers after making disparaging comments about the late Speaker of the House David Ralston.

While the Georgia Senate was deliberating a decision 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 recalling, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we will ever see in my lifetime,” Moore exclaimed as some of Ralston’s relatives watched from the Senate balcony.

His statements were strongly attacked by senators on both sides of the aisle. The room was filled with visible whispers and visible reactions of disbelief.

A short time later, Ralston’s successor, Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington, condemned Moore’s remarks as “one of the most disgusting things you can say to a good man” and ordered House doormen to bar Moore from entering.

On X Wednesday, Moore said he would defy the ban from attending the Georgia General Assembly’s joint session and Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address.

“I will NEVER retire,” 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 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 calling a special session in 2023 to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the county’s impeachment against President-elect Donald Trump.

The other side:

Reacting to the arrest, Georgia Republican Chairman Josh McKoon said he was “deeply disappointed” that Moore was denied access to the chamber and “shocked” that he was taken into custody.

“Giving him access to today’s proceedings was not only legally appropriate — it was simply the right thing to do,” McKoon wrote in a statement to FOX 5. “Our focus should be on the excellent agenda that Governor Kemp has outlined in day to continue making Georgia the best place in the country to live, work and raise a family — not internal strife.”

GeorgiaNews