Connect with us

West

House Republicans sue to block Utah congressional map that favors Democrats

Published

on

House Republicans sue to block Utah congressional map that favors Democrats

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Two Republican members of Congress sued Utah’s top election official on Monday, seeking to block a court-ordered congressional map they argue was unlawfully imposed by a judge and tilts the state’s House delegation in favor of Democrats.

Reps. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, along with several other elected officials including county commissioners, filed a 31-page federal lawsuit challenging a redistricting plan known as “Map 1.”

The plaintiffs argue the map violates the U.S. Constitution’s elections clause by bypassing the state legislature, which they say holds exclusive authority to draw congressional districts.

They also contend that Judge Dianna Gibson violated the Constitution by rejecting congressional maps drawn by the Utah Legislature and imposing “Map 1,” a redistricting plan drafted by attorneys and experts for advocacy groups.

Advertisement

BATTLEGROUND GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO BLOCK WHAT HE CALLS DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING ‘POWER GRAB’

Rep. Burgess Owens speaks during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)

The plaintiffs said the redistricting plan had “never been introduced, debated, or voted upon by a single member of the Utah House or Senate.”

JEFFRIES SAYS GOP ‘DONE EFF’D UP IN TEXAS,’ VOWS THEY WON’T WIN FIVE SEATS: ‘THEY CAN’T IGNORE IT’

“Map 1 was instead drafted by attorneys and expert witnesses for the League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, private activist organizations that possess no lawmaking power under either the United States or Utah Constitutions,” the lawsuit reads in part.

Advertisement

The plaintiffs are asking the court to convene a three-judge panel, invalidate “Map 1” and permanently block its implementation, a move that would prevent its use in the 2026 elections.

Rep. Celeste Maloy speaks during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on March 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

They are also seeking to return redistricting authority to the Utah Legislature and, if lawmakers do not enact a new map, reinstate the state’s 2021 congressional districts.

Republicans currently control all four of Utah’s seats in the U.S. House under district lines approved by lawmakers following the 2020 census, according to The Associated Press.

The AP reported that Gibson found those districts ran afoul of voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards and replaced them with a new map that largely keeps Salt Lake County, a Democratic stronghold, intact within a single district rather than dividing it among all four.

Advertisement

“This lawsuit is not an effort to control political outcomes. It is not an attempt to advantage one party or disadvantage another,” Maloy, Owens and the other plaintiffs wrote in an op-ed for Deseret News. “It is not a referendum on whether districts should be competitive or compact or on how political balance ought to be measured. Those debates belong in the Legislature, where proposals can be introduced publicly, amended openly and resolved by representatives accountable to voters.”

Flags fly at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, 2026. (Sydney Schaefer/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We filed this federal lawsuit not because it was easy but because it was necessary. We seek no special treatment. We ask only that the U.S. Constitution be followed, that the Legislature be allowed to fulfill its lawful role under the federal Constitution and that Utahns retain their right to choose representatives through a process that is legitimate and accountable,” they added. “That is not radical. It is foundational. And it is worth defending.”

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

West

LAPD officer hit with felony charges after allegedly skydiving while collecting full disability benefits

Published

on

LAPD officer hit with felony charges after allegedly skydiving while collecting full disability benefits

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Officials on Wednesday accused a Los Angeles police officer of insurance fraud after he allegedly went skydiving multiple times while collecting full disability benefits.

Christopher Brandon Carnahan, 43, of Norwalk, was charged Monday after allegedly exaggerating an on-duty injury sustained in 2023, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Carnahan is a veteran officer who has been with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 18 years, according to WatchTheWatchers.net, citing California public records.

“This case is about honesty and accountability,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement.

Advertisement

Christopher Brandon Carnahan appears to skydive at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore. (District Attorney’s Office for the Los Angeles County District)

“Claiming to be temporarily totally disabled and collecting disability benefits intended for injured workers while engaging in physically demanding activities like skydiving is a crime. This is an officer who knows the law and understands the standards he is sworn to uphold.”

On May 22, 2023, Carnahan claimed he injured his left elbow while on duty and was subsequently placed on temporary totally disabled (TTD) status, officials said.

Police under TTD are entitled to receive 100% of their base salary tax-free for up to a year and then two-thirds afterward if the injury persists.

EX-ERIC ADAMS STAFFER WHO CELEBRATED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION POCKETED $36K IN BRIBERY, FRAUD CASES: FEDS

Advertisement

Surveillance footage captures Carnahan working out at a fitness center with dumbbells. (District Attorney’s Office for the Los Angeles County District)

Contrary to claims of being completely disabled, Carnahan allegedly engaged in strenuous physical activity, including working out and completing “many skydives” at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, south of Los Angeles.

The District Attorney’s Office also released photos showing what appears to be Carnahan skydiving and exercising at a fitness center. In one image, dated May 23, 2024, the LAPD officer is seen holding dumbbells in a motion that involves his elbows.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle is parked in the city.  (Los Angeles Police Department)

Advertisement

He faces two counts of felony insurance fraud and is being held on $100,000 bail. If convicted, Carnahan could be sentenced to six years in jail.

The LAPD, which is investigating the case, is expected to review Carnahan’s employment status pending the outcome of his criminal trial.

Related Article

Florida execs sentenced in $233M Obamacare fraud that targeted homeless, hurricane victims

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

Hundreds Rally in San Francisco Against U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran | KQED

Published

on

Hundreds Rally in San Francisco Against U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran | KQED


She acknowledged that Iranian Americans hold a range of political views, including some who support U.S. intervention, but said she believes the future of Iran should be determined by its people.

“The Iranian people in Iran can decide the future of their country,” she said. “War, I don’t think, is going to help.”

Speaking to the crowd, Mortazavi challenged what she described as a narrative that Iranians broadly support U.S. and Israeli military action.

“They want you to believe that every Iranian … is cheering on the United States and Israel,” she said. “That is unequivocally false.”

Advertisement

She urged attendees to continue organizing beyond the rally and announced plans for additional demonstrations.

A demonstrator holds an Iranian flag as protesters gather outside the San Francisco Federal Building during a “Hands Off Iran” rally Feb. 28, 2026, in San Francisco. The demonstration called for an end to U.S. involvement in the strikes on Iran. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)

Dina Saadeh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said multiple groups mobilized quickly in response to the strikes.

“I’m angered today,” Saadeh told KQED. “People here don’t want to see our country engaged in more endless war.”

Saadeh described the protest as part of a broader effort to oppose sanctions, military escalation and what she called U.S. imperialism. She said participants were calling on elected officials to redirect public funds toward domestic needs.

“People want money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation,” she said.

Advertisement

KQED’s María Fernanda Bernal contributed to this story.



Source link

Continue Reading

Denver, CO

Police searching for information after fatal assault in Denver

Published

on

Police searching for information after fatal assault in Denver


Denver police are looking for information that could help them identify the suspect in a fatal assault overnight.

Officers were called to the scene in the 9700 block of E. Hampden Avenue around 2:08 a.m. They said an injured man at the scene was taken to a hospital for treatment, but he has been pronounced deceased.

DPD says they’re investigating the case as a homicide. They did not provide the identity of the man who was killed or further details on the case.

Advertisement

Police encouraged anyone with information about the attack or the possible suspect(s) involved to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending