Since its founding, Utah has recognized that “the people are the source of all political power,” and those “who occupy the position of rulers are but the servants of the sovereign people.” ( The Constitutional Convention: The Body Organizes and Begins Work, Deseret News, July 6, 1887.)

Have our legislators abandoned this founding truth?

The question has arisen in the contest over Utah’s congressional maps. The people want one map, the Legislature another. Our system casts the courts in the role of referee. Utah Third’s District Court recently ruled in favor of the people . And the men and women who should see themselves as “servants of the sovereign people” are not happy about it.

Sen. John D. Johnson’s recent commentary (“When judges draw the maps, Utah loses more than district li

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