SALT LAKE CITY – Lawyers representing the Utah State Legislature are pushing for a temporary halt to the implementation of the new congressional map, citing concerns raised by Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson regarding its accuracy and practicality.
Judge Dianna Gibson of the 3rd District Court has yet to rule on the legislature's request for a stay. However, she has granted Lt. Governor Henderson the authority to make minor adjustments to address immediate issues identified in the map.
Henderson's legal team, acting on behalf of Utah's top elections officer, highlighted several flaws in the newly drawn map. These included instances where boundary lines bisected homes and even an entire apartment complex in Huntsville. A small portion of one community was also found to be incorrectly assigned to a different congressional district.
"The Lt. Governor is seeking clarification on whether the homes identified in the image... should remain bisected, or if the Court wishes to adjust the boundary and, if so, how," her attorneys stated in a formal submission, accompanied by detailed maps illustrating the problematic areas.
The League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government have also requested permission from the judge to implement minor tweaks to the map to improve its functionality. However, lawyers for the legislature have argued that these adjustments infringe upon the legislature's exclusive constitutional authority to define district boundaries.
"Regarding the eight boundary issues identified in the Lieutenant Governor’s motion, Plaintiffs’ counsel can instruct the Lieutenant Governor how to resolve those issues. But in doing so, the constitutional problem—the denial of the Legislature’s constitutional authority to redistrict—only becomes more obvious. The boundary issues further reveal that there was no good reason for taking a Plaintiffs’ proposed map," the legislature's lawyers argued.
Utah residents across the political spectrum are hoping this redistricting process will set a positive precedent for the rest of the nation. The legal battles continue as all parties seek a fair and accurate representation of Utah's diverse communities.