CINCINNATI—A judge lashed out at a state lawmaker during a court hearing for two women who worked with the politician in an unsuccessful bid to repeal a city ordinance that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman suggested from the bench that state Rep. Tom Brinkman, a fellow Republican, was aware that workers falsified election petitions by crossing out names and addresses of signers and replacing them with addresses of registered voters in order to make them appear valid.

Brinkman said the judge is mistaken about what happened.

“I personally did not touch a single address or date or signature or name or anything,” he said.

Lois Mingo, 48, and Precilla Ward, 32, pleaded guilty to election falsification. Both had been working on behalf of Equal Rights Not Special Rights, which withdrew petitions for last fall’s ballot because many signatures collected were obvious forgeries.

The gay rights group Citizens to Restore Fairness challenged the petitions and filed a complaint with the Hamilton County Board of Elections.