A Utah courtroom has ordered lawmakers to redraw their congressional districts, which may assist Democrats within the midterm elections. The influential Mormon Girls for Moral Authorities was one of many teams that compelled the order.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
A gaggle in Utah referred to as the Mormon Girls for Moral Authorities is within the spotlife (ph). It is – highlight. It is a plaintiff in a lawsuit that has now compelled lawmakers to redistrict Utah’s congressional seats. The brand new map may assist a Democrat win a seat on this closely Republican state. NPR’s Saige Miller studies the group sees a direct line between redistricting and their religion.
SAIGE MILLER, BYLINE: Emma Petty Addams says she by no means anticipated to be entrance and middle in Utah’s redistricting battle. She’s a classically skilled pianist and a piano instructor, and he or she performed slightly at my request in her Salt Lake Metropolis house.
EMMA PETTY ADDAMS: (Taking part in piano).
It is type of who I’m, and as soon as I can return to that, I’ll (laughter). I simply – in the mean time, this factor referred to as democracy, democratic republic…
MILLER: (Laughter).
PETTY ADDAMS: …Is vital. So…
MILLER: Addams is the co-executive director of Mormon Girls for Moral Authorities, often known as MWEG. The group began on Fb in 2017 partly to oppose what it calls dehumanizing habits in authorities. It now claims greater than 9,000 members nationwide, throughout the political spectrum, most of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Laura Eyi is the group’s public relations supervisor, and he or she identifies as a conservative Republican.
LAURA EYI: As members of the church step as much as get engaged of their communities and in politics usually, they are going to take action in a approach that honors the dignity of the individual that they disagree with, they usually’re doing it in a peace-building approach. And that actually comes from a spot of religion.
MILLER: The group tends to give attention to the democratic course of, like transparency and voting. That brings it to redistricting. Throughout the nation, there is a race over redistricting set off by President Trump. He is referred to as on Republican-led states to redraw the traces and assist GOP candidates win seats in midterm elections subsequent 12 months. However MWEG has been engaged on redistricting for years, and for different causes, Addams says.
PETTY ADDAMS: In states like Texas and different locations, it is a partisan struggle. It is between Democrats and Rs. Right here in Utah, it’s a cross-partisan, principled effort to attempt to put ahead the perfect model of consultant authorities we will probably have.
MILLER: In 2018, Utah voters backed an unbiased fee to attract the state’s voting districts and forestall partisan gerrymandering. However the Republican-led legislature took again the redistricting energy, largely nullifying the state vote. Then it drew the present 4 Home districts, all received by Republicans. The Mormon Girls for Moral Authorities joined with the League of Girls Voters and a few particular person plaintiffs to sue, they usually received. Vicki Reid, one of many plaintiffs, met me at Addams’ home.
VICKI REID: Sure, Utah’s a pink state. That implies that in a pink state, greater than 50% of the individuals voted for honest maps. And so, you recognize, the legislature has a duty to hearken to individuals, and that simply wasn’t taking place.
MILLER: The courtroom ordered the legislature to redraw the districts, they usually should choose a brand new map by subsequent week. The up to date boundaries may find yourself serving to Democrats win a Home seat. President Trump decried the ruling, saying “Utahns must be, quote, “outraged” by “their activist judiciary.” Republican State Consultant Candice Pierucci says the districts are as much as lawmakers.
CANDICE PIERUCCI: The Utah structure offers the only real duty and energy to attract maps with the state legislature, interval.
MILLER: Pierucci cochairs the redistricting committee. She says it is lawmakers, not the plaintiffs within the lawsuit, who actually symbolize Utahns.
PIERUCCI: The legislature is definitely elected by the residents of Utah, versus these totally different third-party teams which have their very own donor teams and their very own members that they’re beholden to. They don’t report again to the voters of Utah.
MILLER: Lawmakers plan to attraction to the Utah Supreme Courtroom and the U.S. Supreme Courtroom, in the event that they must. Again on the home with Addams and the others with Mormon Girls for Moral Authorities, Reid refers to a hymn to elucidate why she joined the case.
REID: The one factor that involves my thoughts is a hymn that we’ve, which has, do what is true. Let the consequence comply with.
MILLER: And for Reid, combating for honest congressional maps is the appropriate factor to do.
Saige Miller, NPR Information.
PETTY ADDAMS: (Taking part in piano).
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might range. Transcript textual content could also be revised to right errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its authentic broadcast or publication. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.
