Navajo Nation v. San Juan County – Page 2

The court will hold public meetings in Monticello and Bluff to receive public input on proposed preliminary County Commission and School Board election districts.

Meeting Details:

Date: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Time: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Hideout Community Center, 49 West 600 South St, Monticello, UT 84535

Date: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Time: 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Location: Bluff Community Center, 3rd East and Mulberry, Bluff Rd, Bluff, UT 84512

Special Master Appointment in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County

October 4, 2017October 4, 2017Matthew L.M. Fletcher

On September 29, 2017, the Court in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County issued an order appointing Dr. Bernard Grofman, University of California, Irvine, to serve as Special Master and oversee redistricting of the County’s School Board and Commission election districts (past and current districting plans were found to have violated the Equal Protection Clause in three previous decisions). The Court also ordered San Juan County to pay the costs associated with the Special Master process. The Court laid out a remedial redistricting process that will allow it to establish new remedial redistricting plans by December, 2017, in time for the 2018 election cycle.

Here:

Order Appointing Special Master

Federal Court Rejects San Juan County Remedial Maps, Orders Appointment of Special Master

July 17, 2017Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the order in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County (D. Utah):

397 DCT Opinion

An excerpt:

For the reasons below, San Juan County’s remedial plans fail to pass constitutional muster. Specifically, the court concludes race was the predominant factor in the development of District 3 of the School Board plan and Districts 1 and 2 of the County Commission plan. The County’s consideration of race requires strict scrutiny analysis of these districts. The court concludes the County has failed to satisfy strict scrutiny and, therefore, these districts are unconstitutional. The court will not adopt the County’s plans.

Navajo Nation Prevails in Voting Rights Case against San Juan County

February 22, 2016Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here is the order in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County (D. Utah):

213 DCT Order

An excerpt:

The County’s redistricting decisions predominated by racial classifications violate the Equal Protection Clause because they are not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest and cannot survive strict scrutiny. On this basis, Navajo Nation is entitled to summary judgment on its first claim for relief. San Juan County’s motion for summary judgment is denied on the merits to the extent that it addresses the Equal Protection claim asserted in the first claim for relief, and denied as moot to the extent it addresses any other theory that could support Navajo Nation’s first claim. Because San Juan County Commission District Three violates the Equal Protection Clause, the districts in the County must be redrawn.

Briefs here.