Sen. Colton Moore Appeals for Arrest of Speaker’s Staff Who Assaulted Him
Atlanta, GA — Today GRA-endorsed State Senator Colton Moore (R-Dade) appeared in court again to appeal the Fulton court decision from March to not arrest the man who grabbed, pushed, and knocked him to the floor at the state capitol.
The unforgettable incident occured on January 16th when Randall Keith Williams, staff member of the Speaker of the House, unlawfully blocked Moore from entering the State House chamber for the Governor’s State of the State address, under orders from State Speaker Jon Burns. In June the Georgia Republican Party state convention delegates voted to censure Speaker Burns for this action.
Moore was represented in court Thursday by attorneys Catherine Bernard (GRA Senior NFRA Director) and Alex Johnson (GRA Chairman) from the law firm Bernard & Johnson.
Fulton Superior Court Judge Williams heard the arguments and watched a video recording of the attack of Mr. Williams against Sen. Moore in the state capitol hallway.
“If this were two people who had no connection to the [State] Capitol whatsoever, there would still be a crime,” said attorney Catherine Bernard at the hearing, “if one of them was seeking to walk into a place, and the other one decided ‘I don’t want to let you get in here so I’m going to tackle and assault you.’ Not [in] a place that he had any authority over whatsoever – that still would have been a crime!”
The decision to ban Senator Moore from the House chamber followed his remarks in March 2024 opposing a resolution to honor the late Speaker David Ralston (R-Ellijay) and to name a building after him. From the well of the State Senate, Senator Moore echoed a point long emphasized by the GRA: that Speaker Ralston’s record included a pattern of misconduct and abuse of power unworthy of praise. He argued that Ralston should not be elevated as a model for other politicians to emulate.
Williams had previously been employed by Speaker David Ralston, and so he may have taken personal offense to Moore’s words.
“[T]he fact that we are dealing with someone who was duly elected to perform his duties, as a member of the Georgia legislature who was on his way to the legislative session, an activity that is specifically protected in the Georgia Constitution as well as Georgia statute, that provides an additional concern of having someone in that position being subjected to political violence to prevent them from participating in the session. … The rule of law does not allow government employees to assault and attack people who are participating in their duties as elected officials in the Georgia legislature.”
GRA Members were appalled by the violent treatment of Senator Moore, and many GOP county and district organizations expressed their outrage in resolutions passed during the 2025 conventions.
What message will it send if there are no consequences for the person who shoved a peaceful Senator to the floor? What assurance do Georgia voters have that they will not be similarly denied representation the next time someone wants to prevent a legislator from entering The People’s House?
Judge Williams will announce her decision about the appeal in the coming weeks, and GRA members eagerly await the outcome.
