The Uintah County Republican Party is among the voices speaking out and acting against the ruling by District Court Judge Dianna Gibson this week that selected the map to be used in Utah’s congressional elections. “The Party is proposing the citizens of Utah repeal Proposition 4 which has led to judicial activism,” shares Uintah County Republican Party Chairman Kason Goodrich. “We have also called on our legislators to impeach Judge Gibson for these clear violations of the separation of powers. The recent judicial ruling concerning Proposition 4 and congressional redistricting authority represents a direct violation of both the U.S. and Utah Constitutions. By disregarding the Legislature’s explicit constitutional mandate to draw congressional maps, outlined in Article IX, Section 1 of the Utah Constitution and Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, the court has overstepped its bounds. Even more troubling, it abandoned the framework of Proposition 4 itself, arbitrarily adopting a plaintiff-submitted map with no legal foundation or voter-derived authority. The map wasn’t even subject to public comment. When one branch of government abdicates its constitutional duty, the others are both morally and constitutionally obligated to restore the balance of justice. Article I, Section 2 of the Utah Constitution affirms the people’s right to reform their government, but only through clearly defined procedures. It does not grant unelected NGOs or the judiciary the power to redraw legislative boundaries. We stand firmly for representative government, not judicial activism or outside influence. The integrity of our constitutional process must be preserved,” concludes Goodrich. The Utah Legislature is considering multiple options in response to Judge Gibson’s ruling.
