Arizona Judge Rules State Lawmakers Can't Challenge Expulsion In Court

By Bridget Dowd
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Published: Wednesday, December 25, 2019 - 9:05am

An Arizona judge has ruled state lawmakers have no right to challenge their expulsion from the Legislature in court.

The decision comes after claims from former state Rep. Don Shooter that his rights were violated when he was ousted from the House.

One of Shooter’s attorneys, Stuart Bernstein, said he’s reviewing the ruling.

"The judge gave us leave to amend the complaint," Bernstein said. "So we are confident that we will be able to cure any deficiencies that the judge perceives in the original complaint."

Shooter was expelled last year in a 56-3 House vote. That was due to allegations of sexual harassment and other inappropriate conduct.

Unless overturned, the ruling means the House and Senate can expel members for any reason without being second-guessed by the courts.