State Bar reams GOP for threats to impeach judge who smacked down election-rigging scheme

The Utah State Bar put out a message on Tuesday afternoon, condemning the push by Republicans in the state legislature to impeach a state judge who twice ruled their attempt to gerrymander congressional districts in their favor was illegal.

"The Utah State Bar strongly condemns any effort to impeach Judge Dianna Gibson based on her recent ruling," said the bar in a statement. "Judges are charged with applying the law to the facts of their cases without regard to politics or public opinion. Using impeachment as retaliation for an unfavorable decision undermines the rule of law and the separation of powers that safeguard our system of government."

"The judiciary must remain free from political pressure so all Utahns can have confidence in fair, impartial courts. Impeachment is reserved for serious misconduct, and disagreement should instead be addressed through the appeals process," the statement concluded. "We urge all public officials and Utahns to respect the role of the judiciary and the independence of Utah's courts."

Gibson found the state legislature had violated Utah's Proposition 4, a measure passed by voters in 2018 to prohibit partisan gerrymandering. The legislature sidelined the advisory committee set up by the ballot measure and passed a map that split Salt Lake City into three pieces to ensure all four districts would be heavily Republican-favoring.

After Gibson ruled this illegal, and the Utah Supreme Court agreed, the legislature passed a new map that split Salt Lake County in two, keeping all four districts Republican-favoring, while passing a separate law that would override Proposition 4's fairness criteria and adopt new rules that require all Republican districts. They also threatened to impeach Gibson if she interfered again.

Gibson, undeterred, found this week that both measures were also illegal and adopted a more compact, balanced map proposed by the plaintiffs that kept Salt Lake City whole. Immediately, Utah Republicans up and down the ballot exploded with rage, and a state representative started the process of impeachment.