A judge will not bar three Arizona officials who allegedly were involved in some way in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot from running again for office.
In a 19-page ruling released Friday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury said private individuals have no legal right to enforce a provision of the U.S. Constitution that bars those who have engaged in “insurrection” from holding public office. He said only Congress can create such a law.
Coury also rejected a claim by Free Speech for People, which brought the lawsuits, that state election laws give them the right to challenge whether Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, is qualified to run for secretary of state and whether Congressmen Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs are legally entitled to seek another term in the U.S. House. He said those laws are designed solely to determine if candidates meet what is required under state law.
Finally, the judge said that the challengers waited too long to bring their claims.