Arizona judge nixes suit that wants Trump backers off ballot

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - A judge in Phoenix has dismissed lawsuits seeking to disqualify three Republican lawmakers from this year’s ballot because they participated in or helped organize the attack on the Capitol.

The decision from a Maricopa County Superior Court judge means representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, along with state representative Mark Finchem remain on the primary ballot barring a reversal by the state Supreme Court.

The lawsuits filed on behalf of a handful of Arizona voters alleged that Gosar, Biggs and Finchem can’t hold office because they participated in an insurrection, citing a section of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The judge agreed with the lawmakers’ attorneys who said congress created no enforcement mechanism for the 14th amendment, barring a criminal conviction, and noting that congress proposed such a law in the wake of the attack on congress but it has not been enacted.