SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court will issue a ruling tomorrow on whether a lawsuit challenging the Utah State Legislature's redistricting maneuvers can go forward, FOX 13 News has confirmed.
The opinion is set to be published on Thursday, a notice released by the Utah Supreme Court indicated. No matter the outcome, it is sure to ignite a political firestorm over the Republican supermajority in the legislature and congress.
A lower-court judge rejected the Utah State Legislature's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and a group of people who say they are directly impacted by the redistricting. Lawyers for the legislature appealed to the state's top court, which heard arguments exactly a year ago.
The lawsuit alleges the legislature trampled over the rights of Utahns who successfully passed a citizen ballot initiative to create an independent redistricting commission. That commission drew boundaries that the legislature disregarded. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that what the legislature passed amounts to gerrymandering favoring Republicans.
In arguments last year, the justices grilled lawyers for the legislature about whether it went too far in redistricting. The hearing left many of the plaintiffs feeling optimistic about their odds of keeping their lawsuit alive, especially when the Court followed up and asked for supplemental briefing on the issue of whether the legislature violated the constitutional rights of Utahns to "alter or reform" their government in Proposition 4.
