A panel of three federal judges unanimously rejected the latest — and potentially last — attempt by Republican officials to block a court-ordered congressional map from being used in the November midterm elections.
The federal court decision comes on the heels of Friday’s similar unanimous refusal by the Utah Supreme Court to intervene in the case.
With Lt. Gov Deidre Henderson saying Monday is the deadline to have a map in place – and unless a federal appeals court grants an emergency reprieve — Republican lawmakers may have run out of options to halt the use of a court-ordered congressional map that could cost the GOP one of their four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said there are discussions about once again postponing the candidate filing deadline to buy more time for further appeals.
Gov. Spencer Cox said Monday he was not surprised by the decision from the federal judges.
“I think that most people thought that was a little bit of a long shot, but certainly one that was worth trying,” he said. “But there was nothing in that order that surprised anyone.”
Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said he “definitely” would like to see the challenge — brought by the Republican U.S. Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy, along with a number of other GOP elected officials — sent to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read Robert Gehrke's full story at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.