Nine women publicly accused the Republican of sexual harassment before the House voted 56-3 to expel him in early 2018
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
Arizona lawmakers have no right to challenge in court their expulsion from the Legislature, a state judge has ruled.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Theodore Campagnolo has rejected claims by former state Rep. Don Shooter that his rights were violated when the state House voted to oust him in early 2018.
Campagnolo acknowledged Shooter’s claims that the process followed by the House and then-Speaker J.D. Mesnard deprived him of his rights, including to confront his accusers and to examine witnesses. But he said that, whether it’s true or not, does not matter.
“These rights are not available in a legislative decision to expel a member under the Arizona Constitution,” the judge wrote.
