This is your daily news rundown for Wednesday, November 13. In this edition:
- A protected wild stallion was shot and killed in Central Utah.
- A judge has blocked Utah's Democratic Party from joining a gerrymandering lawsuit.
- St. George is facing a new legal challenge after blocking a drag show last year.
Protected wild stallion shot and killed in Central Utah
2:06 p.m
A protected wild stallion was shot and killed over the weekend in the Onaqui Herd Management Area in Central Utah.
Pyrite, also known as Goldie or Glory, was found dead from a gunshot wound outside of Dugway on Sunday.
The Wild Beauty Foundation is offering a $2,500 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction.
The killing comes after two Onaqui stallions were shot and killed in the West Desert in March of last year.
Judge rejects Utah Democratic Party’s request to join gerrymandering lawsuit
2:06 p.m
A judge has rejected the Utah Democratic Party’s request to get involved in a lawsuit against Utah over redistricting and gerrymandering.
The lawsuit, filed in 2022 by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women by Ethical Government, claimed the Utah State Legislature had ignored the will of voters by gutting a redistricting ballot initiative and that current district maps gerrymandered Democratic voters.
The Utah Democratic Party asked to intervene in the lawsuit, but 3rd District Court Judge Dianna Gibson refused that request in an order issued last week.
The party had no comment on the judge’s ruling.
The litigation has had a long road through the courts since 2022. After a lower district court refused to consider the lawsuit’s claim that the Legislature ignored the will of voters, the plaintiffs challenged the ruling and the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.
The Utah State Legislature then created Amendment D to counter that ruling, but it was struck down by the courts and voided on the November ballot for not meeting constitutional requirements.
St. George faces new legal challenge over blocking drag show last year
2:06 p.m
St. George is facing a new legal challenge over its decision to block a drag show last year.
Southern Utah Drag Stars sued city officials in 2023 after it was denied a permit for a show in a public park, alleging they were discriminated against. A federal judge sided with the drag stars this August and ordered the city to allow the show to happen.
Since then, the city has revised its special event permit ordinance, but in an amended complaint, the American Civil Liberties Union argues those changes could create future problems for drag shows, including making it easier for St. George to suppress “disfavored speech.”
Lawyers for the City of St. George argued that it’s too soon to say if the changes would negatively impact groups like Southern Utah Drag Stars and thus aren’t “ripe for judicial review.”
