Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Republican Leaders Want To Compel AG To Share His Legal Opinions, With Or Without Governor's Consent

Julia Ritchey
/
KUER
Speaker Greg Hughes addresses the Utah House on Jan. 22.

Utah House Republican leaders are asserting their powers amid an ongoing dispute with the executive branch over last year's special congressional election.

Lawmakers are pushing a new bill (H.B. 198) that will compel the attorney general to provide his legal opinion to them, even over the objection of the governor.

The proposal is aimed squarely at Gov. Gary Herbert, who blocked his Attorney General Sean Reyes from giving lawmakers an opinion last year on whether Herbert was within his authority to arrange the rules for the 3rd Congressional District's special election. Herbert claimed doing so would violate attorney-client privilege.

Lawmakers wanted Herbert to call them into a special session to make the rules for the election after former Congressman Jason Chaffetz announced he was resigning early.

In an interview last month, House Speaker Greg Hughes said spelling out separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches was a top priority for him this year.

"Remember, that short session, we don't want anyone to think we're a part-time branch," he said. "We're a full-time branch, we just have a part time legislative service and session."

Hughes has also hinted at a constitutional amendment that would allow the Legislature to call itself into a special session.

Julia joined KUER in 2016 after a year reporting at the NPR member station in Reno, Nev. During her stint, she covered battleground politics, school overcrowding, and any story that would take her to the crystal blue shores of Lake Tahoe. Her work earned her two regional Edward R. Murrow awards. Originally from the mountains of Western North Carolina, Julia graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 with a degree in journalism. She’s worked as both a print and radio reporter in several states and several countries — from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to Dakar, Senegal. Her curiosity about the American West led her to take a spontaneous, one-way road trip to the Great Basin, where she intends to continue preaching the gospel of community journalism, public radio and podcasting. In her spare time, you’ll find her hanging with her beagle Bodhi, taking pictures of her food and watching Patrick Swayze movies.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.