SALT LAKE CITY — A judge has once again rejected a request by lawyers for the Utah State Legislature to halt a lawsuit challenging its congressional redistricting boundaries.
Court records show on Friday, 3rd District Court Judge Dianna Gibson refused to stay the lawsuit pending an appeal by the state to the Utah Supreme Court. Instead, Judge Gibson scheduled a trial beginning in May. She previously rejected a request to dismiss the lawsuit outright.
The League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and a group of individual plaintiffs sued the legislature, arguing that the boundaries drawn for U.S. Congress that split Salt Lake County into the four districts constitutes "illegal gerrymandering."
Republican legislative leadership on Utah's Capitol Hill declined to comment on the judge's ruling.
"The legislature has made every effort to avoid facing the facts of the extreme partisan gerrymandering they engaged in. Fortunately, the court has rejected their arguments once again and our case will proceed to trial in May," the League and MWEG said in a joint statement to FOX 13 News. "Utahns deserve to pick their politicians, not the other way around, and we look forward to advocating for our constitutional rights in court."
