Judge upholds Ga. Democrat's disqualification over citizenship requirements

ATLANTA — A judge has upheld the disqualification of a Georgia House candidate over citizenship requirements.

Maria Palacios filed a lawsuit in May seeking to overturn Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s decision before the primary in May to remove her from the ballot.

Palacios was the only Democrat running in the primary election for the Gainesville-area seat. Her lawsuit says Palacios, who was born in Mexico, has lived in Georgia since 2009 and became a U.S. citizen in 2017.

Kemp said Palacios didn’t meet a requirement in the Georgia Constitution that candidates be “citizens of this state for two years.”

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall on Wednesday sided with Kemp.

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Lawyer Sean Young with the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, who represented Palacios, said they plan to appeal.