Judge tosses lawsuit challenging Arizona representative’s citizenship

PHOENIX — A newly elected Arizona state representative has defeated a second legal challenge over her citizenship after a judge tossed a lawsuit this week.

The lawsuit against Rep.-elect Raquel Teran, a Democrat from Phoenix, was filed by anti-immigrant activist Alice Novoa the day before the Nov. 6 election.

In a statement, Teran said she would not “be intimidated by harassment and psychological warfare designed to exclude me, or the voices of the constituents I look forward to serving.”

“When January comes, I’m going to be sworn-in to be a State Representative for Legislative District 30 and I couldn’t be more excited or more proud,” she said.

It was not the first time Teran was taken to court over her citizenship: Novoa filed a similar lawsuit against her in 2012 when Teran ran for the same office. Court records showed it was quickly dismissed after the now-lawmaker-elect provided a copy of her U.S. birth certificate.

Novoa herself was a Republican write-in candidate for secretary of state in 2018 and governor in 2014.

Teran beat her Democratic challenger Robert Meza and Republican opponent Gary Spears in the election. She currently has about 39 percent of the vote.

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