Judge sides with Utah county in Navajo voting rights case

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge is declaring that Utah’s San Juan County has made appropriate reforms after finding its previous political boundaries racially gerrymandered.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Judge Robert Shelby declined Monday to reopen the case in response to concerns from Navajo residents in the state’s southeast corner.

The residents claimed that up to 2,000 voters did not receive the appropriate ballot for last Tuesday’s primary election and wanted Shelby to hold the county in contempt of court.

Navajo Nation lawyer Katherine Belzowski said she was glad the county was forced to show how its efforts complied with the court order. She said lawyers would monitor the situation but hoped relations between the tribe and the county were improving.

Shelby has twice ruled against the county for drawing racially discriminatory districts that disenfranchised Navajos who make up roughly half the county’s population.

The June 26 primary was the first election using the new districts.