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Speaker says judge considering new congressional map would be 'legislating from the bench'
Summary
An unidentified speaker argued that Utah's constitution gives the legislature sole authority to draw districts and criticized a judge considering new congressional maps as overstepping, accusing out-of-state groups of trying to force a Democratic seat through the courts.
An unidentified speaker told listeners that the Utah Constitution gives the state legislature—not the courts—the authority to draw congressional districts and accused a judge considering new maps of overstepping that authority.
"Utah's constitution is clear," the speaker said. "The people elect their lawmakers, and those lawmakers draw Utah's districts." The speaker cited Article IX, saying it states "the legislature shall divide the state into congressional, legislative, and other districts accordingly."
The speaker said the authority to set political boundaries "resides within the legislature, which is elected by the people, not the judicial branch," and questioned "why 1 unelected judge is considering throwing out our congressional maps." The speaker added that the judge's process "doesn't even follow proposition 4," and called the court action "the very definition of legislating from the bench."
The speaker framed the court effort as politically motivated, saying it is being driven by "out of state interest groups backed by national liberal organizations and attorneys from Washington, DC" and alleging those groups want to "gain another Democrat seat in Congress." The speaker noted electoral numbers to underline the point: "Only about 14% of Utah voters are registered Democrat" and "It takes over 50% to win a seat," saying "the only way to draw a guaranteed Democrat seat in Utah is to gerrymander the map."
The speaker also reminded listeners that the state legislature adopted new maps in 2021 "after months of public input in hearings across the state," and said that process legitimizes the existing maps. Addressing legal arguments raised by others, the speaker said, "Now some people point to proposition 4 from 2018, but a proposition is not the same as a constitutional amendment."
Closing the remarks, the speaker called for resistance to the court action: "We will push back every step of the way to do what's right," and added, "Utahns deserve judges who interpret the law, not rewrite it." The statement contained assertions and numerical claims presented by the speaker; the transcript did not record any responses, independent verification, or formal vote on the matter.
