Standard-Examiner Guest Commentary: Is the ACLU Relevant in Utah?

Where the hell has the Utah ACLU been during the entire several year pendency of the Powder Mountain matter?

After a two-month lull, the Powder Mountain Legal Stalemate is back on the Standard-Examiner editorial page this morning, with this probing Larry Zini guest commentary, which asks the question many of us have been asking, as the ongoing Powder Mountain lawsuits have languished in the Utah Supreme Court for the past six months or so:

• Is the ACLU relevant in Utah? Powder Mountain plight beckons

Although Mr. Zini suggests that the ACLU ought to at least file an Amicus Curiae brief in this matter, we'll observe that it's probably too late for that, inasmuch as final briefs were due in the Utah Supreme Court by January 29 of this year. Nevertheless, Mr. Zini's question remains a good one. Where the hell has the Utah ACLU been during the entire several year pendency of this matter?

Looking at the situation objectively, it would seem that a voter rights case like this would be right up the ACLU's alley, yet the ACLU has been entirely silent on the matter. Still, the organization has been recently involved in at least one other voter rights case in Weber County, so the question remains... why are they sitting this one out?

Mr. Zini does speculate as to the reasons the ACLU may have declined to get involved in this case; but for the moment at least we'll refrain from offering our own additional speculation on the subject.

But here's what we will do, gentle readers. We'll forward a copy of this article to the ACLU Utah chapter this morning. Perhaps we can get an answer straight from the horse's mouth.

If we're fortunate enough to receive anything tangible back in reply, our readers will be the first to hear about it.

Update 5/12/10 10:13 a.m.: We now discover that Blogmeister Valley has published his own writeup on this morning's guest commentary on Ogden Valley Forum:

• Is the ACLU relevant in Utah?

Have at it, O Gentle Ones.