A Georgia state senator, previously banned from the state House chamber, was arrested on Thursday when he attempted to enter the chamber during the governor’s state of the state speech and engaged in a physical altercation with House employees. State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton known for his right-wing views, was at the center of the altercation.
Moore had hinted at a confrontation the day before when he took to social media to refer to House Speaker Jon Burns, also a Republican, as a “tyrant.” This arrest is just one of several incidents where state officials have had to intervene to control lawmakers or spectators as legislative sessions commence in 2025.
The ban on Moore from the House chamber was imposed by Burns the previous year after Moore publicly criticized the late House Speaker David Ralston on a day when Ralston was being honored with his relatives present. During his remarks, Moore accused Ralston of being “one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we’ll ever see,” citing allegations that Ralston had inappropriately delayed court cases he was handling as a lawyer. Burns condemned Moore’s comments as “vile” when announcing the ban, specifying that it would only be lifted upon Moore issuing an apology.
In the events leading up to his arrest, Moore insisted to reporters that Burns did not have the legal authority to prevent him from attending a joint House-Senate session to hear Governor Brian Kemp address the chamber. Despite meeting with Burns the day before, Moore stated that they were not able to come to an agreement. He emphasized his constitutional duty to be present at the General Assembly session as he attempted to push past House staff blocking his way. Amidst the commotion, Keith Williams, a lawyer representing the speaker’s office, physically engaged with Moore, resulting in the senator falling to the ground in one of his attempts to enter the chamber. Moore was subsequently handcuffed by troopers and taken into custody, with online jail records documenting his arrest on misdemeanor charges of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.
Reports emerged that Moore’s supporters were mobilizing efforts to secure his release, with jail records indicating a bail requirement of $1,000 for his release. The senator had previously been expelled from the Senate Republican caucus in September 2023 after launching scathing attacks on fellow Republicans for their refusal to support a special session aimed at addressing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s indictment of former President Donald Trump. Governor Kemp had publicly criticized Moore’s efforts, labeling them as “some grifter scam” designed to solicit campaign contributions.
Notably, this incident is not the first time that Georgia state officials have been involved in controversial arrests during political events. In 2018, troopers arrested 15 individuals, including Nikema Williams, who was a Democratic state senator at the time and is now a member of Congress, during an election-related protest at the Georgia Capitol. State Representative Park Cannon was also arrested in 2021 after knocking on the door of the governor’s office
