Court mulls ruling that blocked NC Rep. Cawthorn challenge

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court has heard arguments over a lower court’s decision to block a challenge of North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s candidacy this year by voters who cited a section of the Constitution addressing insurrection. Three judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals meeting on Tuesday questioned lawyers involved in a lawsuit filed by the first-term Republican congressman. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers ruled for Cawthorn in March and the challenged was halted. Voters appealed. They cite a portion of the 14th Amendment ratified after the Civil War. Myers ruled a separate 1872 law meant the section didn’t apply to Cawthorn.