The Utah Supreme Court ruled Thursday that when Utah voters pass initiatives, the ability for the Legislature to intervene or make changes to the initiatives is limited.
This means a lawsuit against the Utah Legislature over its splitting Salt Lake County into four districts can move forward.
“Somewhere in the great beyond, Sherman S. Smith is smiling,” Jay Evensen wrote of the decision.
“Smith was a populist, which was just as rare in the Utah Legislature at the dawn of the 20th century, when he served as a representative of Ogden, as it is today. Yet he somehow got lawmakers to pass an amendment in 1899 to the state Constitution allowing the people to pass or modify laws directly through initiatives or referendums.
“Voters then ratified this at the ballot box in 1900, and generations of Utah lawmakers have been fighting it ever since.”
Read more about the history of citizen initiatives in Utah and read more here about what the Court’s decision means for gerrymandering in the state.
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