BACKGROUND

In 2018, the citizens of Utah voted to pass Proposition 4, a bipartisan initiative that established anti-gerrymandering redistricting standards and created an independent redistricting commission. However, the Legislature repealed Proposition 4, and, in 2021 enacted the Congressional Plan to crack the compact population of Democratic-supporting voters in Salt Lake County. The Plan divided them across all four districts, fragmenting residential areas and effectively halved the city across its Main Street.

Plaintiffs sued to invalidate the Legislature’s extreme partisan gerrymander and assert Uthans constitutional rights. The district court denied the Legislature’s motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ partisan gerrymandering claims. The court concluded that Utah courts ought to uphold individual rights and ensure the functioning of the democratic process, thus asserting Utahs court has broad judicial review authority. Defendants appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of Utah. ELC, representing Professor Charles Fried, filed an amicus brief in support of Plaintiffs.