D.C. Councilman Jim Graham, seeking to avert a newly threatened reprimand from his legislative colleagues, asked a judge Thursday to order the city’s ethics board to withdraw the opinion it issued that set off a firestorm about his conduct earlier this month.

In a D.C. Superior Court filing, Graham’s lawyers described the ruling from the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability as “simply indefensible” and a violation of Graham’s right to due process.