North Carolina Rep. Cawthorn's candidacy challenge blocked

A federal judge has blocked an effort by voters to disqualify North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn from seeking reelection by alleging his involvement with the rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol riot in January 2021 made him ineligible. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers in Wilmington issued a preliminary injunction during a court hearing Friday. Myers declared the state’s candidate challenge process didn’t apply to a portion of the 14th Amendment designed to prevent congressmen who had fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War from returning to Congress. Cawthorn spoke at the Jan. 6 rally and voted against certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory.