Utah high court scrutinizes process that sliced state’s most Democrat-heavy county into 4 districts

By SAM METZ
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Supreme Court is weighing arguments on whether a lower court can evaluate if the Republican-majority statehouse violated the state constitution in drawing new congressional districts two years ago. State Supreme Court justices lobbed questions Tuesday at attorneys for the state and the seven voters suing over maps they claim dilute their voting power and violate the state constitution. The case is the latest state-based challenge to partisan gerrymandering and comes weeks after a high-profile U.S. Supreme Court ruling denied the North Carolina Legislature nearly absolute power in drawing political maps in that state.