Judge mulls lawsuit seeking to kick Trump backers off ballot

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Attorneys representing two Republican congressmen and a GOP state House member running to be Arizona’s top election official urged a judge in Phoenix to dismiss lawsuits seeking to kick them off the November ballot. The lawsuits filed by voters allege that Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs and state Rep. Mark Finchem are ineligible because they participated in or helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington that ended with an unprecedented attack on Congress. The voters cited a section of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution, which says anyone who participated in an insurrection while in office is disqualified. Judge Christopher Coury heard arguments Wednesday and is expected to rule quickly.