Lawsuit claiming Utah legislature illegally killed anti-gerrymandering law moves forward
Utah Supreme Court has ruled a lawsuit alleging state lawmakers illegally nullified an anti-gerrymandering initiative passed by voters in 2018 can move forward, Court documents filed Thursday show.
Proposition 4 demanded that an independent redistricting commission be created that would draw district lines non-partisanly.
But the Utah legislature then passed Senate Bill 200, which diminished the redistricting commission to nothing more than an advisory role and continued allowing lawmakers to draw their own districts.
The League of Women Voters and the Mormon Women for Ethical Government responded with a lawsuit saying the newly drawn maps were illegal.
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The legislature tried to block the case, a decision that went to the top court in the state.
The Campaign Legal Center, which represents the petitioners in the case, called out the state asselmbly members, saying the case, "exemplifies how a ruling political party can skew the electoral process by 'cracking' voters from the minority party into multiple congressional districts to dilute their voting power."
They asked that the courts block the maps for the next election.
“When Utahns exercise their right to reform the government through a citizen initiative, their exercise of these rights is protected from government infringement,” the court ruled unanimously.
“Although the Legislature has authority to amend or repeal statutes, it is well settled that legislative action cannot unduly infringe or restrain the exercise of constitutional rights,” the opinion continues.