Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman is suing her colleagues and wants a judge to grant a temporary restraining order against them for allegedly “interfering with [her] right to free speech at Commissioner meetings.”
The lawsuit was filed May 18 in Fulton Superior Court shortly before commissioners met for their morning meeting. The suit names commissioners Marvin Arrington Jr., Natalie Hall, Elizabeth Hausmann, Bob Ellis, Lee Morris and Chair Rob Pitts as defendants.
“I have no choice but to ask a fair and independent judge to stop these rogue actions by my colleagues,” Abdur-Rahman said in a press release. “I don’t know if a commissioner has ever had to sue his/her colleagues, but I will not stand for these officials to continually violate my rights as a citizen and my ability to perform my constitutional duties as an elected official.”
Pitts did not return a request for comment.
The lawsuit is the latest chapter in an ongoing battle between Abdur-Rahman and the county. The commission tried to ban county employees from campaigning for elected office after Abdur-Rahman’s staff members Rick Blalock and Robert H. Kelly announced they were running for seats on the commission. A judge ruled Blalock and Kelly could run for office.
Kelly is running against Arrington and Blalock is running for Hausmann’s seat. Friday, May 20, is the last day for early voting in the May 24 primary.
The AJC reported Kelly is also suing Arrington for $1 million, claiming he posted false information about him on social media.