SALT LAKE CITY — No constitutional amendment will be run this year seeking to reassert the Utah Legislature's power over citizen ballot initiatives, according to House Speaker Mike Schultz.
"We believe it’s appropriate to allow the litigation to continue through the courts before considering whether any further action is necessary," Schultz, R-Hooper, said in a statement Wednesday. "Our focus remains on defending the Legislature’s constitutional authority through the judicial process."
The decision is a sudden change for a Utah State Legislature that had been gearing up to put a constitutional amendment before voters in November that sought to re-establish lawmakers' power to modify citizen initiatives. A prior effort, known as Amendment D, was due to appear on the 2024 ballot before the Utah Supreme Court voided it — angering Republican leaders on Utah's Capitol Hill.
The League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government's lawsuit that led to a new congressional map is still before the Utah Supreme Court. Earlier this year, the legislature passed a bill expanding the court. They also passed a bill establishing a new "constitutional court" that would hear challenges to laws the legislature passes (which is the subject of its own litigation).
"The voters of Utah have always honored the legislature's role in redistricting. The only restriction is that they act fairly, as the citizen initiative Proposition 4 required. We are confident that our case is solid and look forward to representing the voters in court," League President Katharine Biele told FOX 13 News in a statement Wednesday.
Lawmakers may be wanting clarity from the courts, but some have also seen blowback from voters. Most notably, Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, lost a Republican primary race where development of data centers was a campaign issue.
Updates on this breaking news story as information becomes available
