As legislative leaders weigh what issues might be ripe for a potential special session Wednesday, top Republicans and conservative organizations are clamoring for lawmakers to put a constitutional amendment on the fall ballot to undo a Utah Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the public’s right to change laws via initiative.
Last month, hearing a case centered on a 2018 ballot measure intended to prevent political boundaries drawn to benefit one political party, the state’s high court unanimously declared that Utahns have a right to reform government through such initiatives and the Legislature must have a compelling interest to alter the will of the voters.
That didn’t sit well with lawmakers. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said in a joint statement at the time that the ruling was “one of the worst outcomes we’ve ever seen from the Utah Supreme Court” and that it “made a new law about the initiative power, creating chaos and striking at the very heart of our republic.”
Now, 36 key Republicans and conservative organizations sent a letter to legislative leadership Friday night urging the Legislature to amend the state constitution to reverse the ruling. They include Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson, GOP attorney general nominee Derek Brown, Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka and others.
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