Arguments are set for today in Utah’s appeal of the Amendment 3 ruling. Reyes asks a court to halt same-sex adoptions. Assistant Attorney General placed on leave as part of the Swallow investigation.
Countdown:
- 15 days until the Utah State Republican and Democratic conventions
- 75 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections
- 208 days to the 2014 midterm elections
- 291 days to the start of the 2015 Utah Legislature
- 571 days to the 2015 elections
- 636 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
- 942 days to the 2016 presidential election
Today’s Utah political news highlights:
- It’s D-Day for the appeal of a ruling striking down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage [Deseret News, Tribune].
- Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has asked a court to halt same-sex adoptions in Utah while the state appeals the Amendment 3 ruling [Deseret News, Tribune].
- Investigators want a cell phone belonging to Assistant Attorney General Kirk Torgensen as part of the criminal probe into former Attorneys General Mark Shurtleff and John Swallow [City Weekly, Deseret News, Tribune].
- The Salt Lake and Utah County nominating conventions are this weekend [Tribune].
- The Utah GOP looks to avoid a repeat of the convention speech shenanigans that happened in 2012 [Utah Policy].
- The BLM is trying to figure out how to minimize damage from an oil leak in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument [Tribune].
- Federal regulators are taking a closer look at a proposed change to the joint-operating agreement between the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune [Tribune].
- A program that distributes free mass transit passes to help reduce pollution had a significant impact over the last couple of months [Tribune].
- Former Gov. Mike Leavitt is named a “Giant in Our City” by the Salt Lake Chamber [Tribune].
- The new federal courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City is set to open [Tribune].
- The annual 4th of July fireworks show in Sugar House Park is about to go kaput for lack of funding [Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1866 – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.
- 1912 – The luxury liner Titanic set sail from England on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
- 1925 – “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published.
- 1932 – Adolf Hitler came in second in the election for German president.
- 1947 – Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey announced he had purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson, paving the way for Robinson to become the first black player in the major leagues.
- 1992 – Financier Charles Keating was sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud when his Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed.
- 2001 – The Netherlands legalized mercy killings and assisted suicide.
