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@schotthappens.com Oct 7, 2026, 9:31 PM

The Utah Debate Commission quietly changed its qualifying rules in August, which kept a pair of third-party congressional candidates off the debate stage.

Under the old rules, they would have qualified.

#utpol

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 6:03 PM

The case is interesting also because the U.S. government accused her of participating in Rwandan genocide. She denied it, an asylum judge sided with her and found evidence unsubstantiated. The feds have sought to terminate her and her son's refugee status. #utpol #Utah

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 6:03 PM

A split 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the courts do have the authority to review asylum cases in a lawsuit filed by a Utah refugee from Rwanda and her son. This is a circuit split, so it could go to SCOTUS. #utpol #Utah

Before TYMKOVICH, PHILLIPS, and McHUGH, Circuit Judges.
_________________________________
PHILLIPS, Circuit Judge.
_________________________________
Agnes Mukantagara and her son Ebenezer Shyaka sued United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services in federal district court for terminating
Mukantagara’s refugee status. The court dismissed their suit for lack of subject-
matter jurisdiction. It relied on 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii), which bars courts
from reviewing immigration agencies’ discretionary actions. It held that
§ 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) applied to 8 U.S.C. § 1157(c)(4), the Immigration and
Nationality Act’s provision for terminating refugee status.
We held that 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) does not apply to Mukantagara
and her son’s suit. See Mukantagara v. Noem, 164 F.4th 765 (10th Cir. 2026),
vacated by Mukantagara v. Mullin, 181 F.4th 1088 (10th Cir. 2026). We
reasoned that the action Mukantagara and her son challenged was not
discretionary, though a related action was. See id. The government moved for
rehearing, and soon after, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Mullin v.
Doe, 146 S. Ct. 2121 (2026). Doe seemed relevant, so we vacated our opinion

and asked the parties to brief us on it. With that briefing and argument, we’ve
landed about where we started.
Section 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) doesn’t bar district court review of USCIS’s
termination of refugee status. Doe’s careful consideration of the words
“determination” and “decision” has refined our analysis, but it doesn’t
substantially change it. Termination of refugee status under § 1157(c)(4)
involves two decisions. The first is a mandatory, nondiscretionary decision—
whether an alien met the INA’s definition of “refugee” when admitted into the
U.S. The second is an exercise of discretion—the agency may choose to
maintain an alien’s refugee status even if that person didn’t meet the INA’s
definition of refugee when admitted into the country. Because Mukantagara and
her son challenge only the first decision, which is nondiscretionary,
§ 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) does not apply. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.
§ 1291, we reverse judgment in favor of the government and remand to the
district court for further proceedings.
BACKGROUND

@utahnewsdispatch.com Oct 7, 2026, 5:04 PM

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order meant to "promote responsible AI use within government” by directing state agencies to use “pro-human” principles when evaluating artificial intelligence tools. #utpol

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 3:22 PM

From my @fox13news.bsky.social colleague Adi Iyer: a pretty big turnout at a Carbon Co. Planning Commission meeting about nuclear-powered data centers: www.fox13now.com/news/local-n... #utpol #Utah

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 3:02 PM

Because I try to pay attention to polling in surrounding states (because it can sometimes indicate what's coming to Utah), Nevada Gov. Lombardo is barely ahead in this poll and the abortion question that the LDS Church has opposed is polling ahead... #utpol #Utah

The NVPOP finds that Lombardo’s edge over his fellow Republicans is primarily due to two factors: overperformance among independent and Clark County voters and the presence of a third-party candidate.

In the Governor’s Race, Lombardo is statistically tied with Aaron Ford among voters who don’t align with either the Republican or Democratic Party (32%-32%). Down-ballot Republicans do not fare as well. Independents prefer the Democratic Candidate in the races for Lieutenant Governor (Jauregi +4), Treasurer (Mathis-Coleman +7), State Controller (MacDougal +8), Secretary of State (Aguilar +11), and Attorney General (Cannizzaro +12).

Among Clark County voters, the trend is similar. Lombardo (41%) is statistically tied with Ford (42%), while Democrats in other races run ahead of their Republican opponents, with leads ranging from 6 points to 14 points.

In true, wedge-issue fashion, enshrining the right to an abortion in the Nevada Constitution unites Democrats (88% yes, 6% no) and Independents (67% yes, 22% no), while dividing Republicans (52% yes, 38% no). On the other hand, requiring voter ID in Nevada is nearly a mirror image. Nearly all (86%) Republicans and a supermajority of Independents (67%) intend to vote yes, while Democrats are closely divided, 48% yes to 44% no.

"Parties usually appreciate having a friendly wedge issue on the ballot to juice support for their team,” says Mike Noble. “This time, the wedge issues happen to cancel each other out, leaving campaign strategists from both sides likely wishing they had kept their powder dry.”

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 3:02 PM

Some fascinating polling in Nevada on water and data centers (very similar to a poll done here in Utah) from Noble Predictive Insights... #utpol #Utah

Concern cuts across traditional partisan divides, reaching 81% among Republicans, 87% among Democrats, and 82% among Independents and nonpartisan voters. Regionally, concern is higher in metro areas than it is in rural Nevada. Total concern reaches 87% in Washoe County and 83% in Clark County, while still high at 78% among rural voters.

On the hot-button issue of the season, Nevadans aren’t that much different than other voters in the southwest. Registered Nevada voters oppose additional large data centers by 23 points. Intensity is also higher among opponents than supporters. Among the 57% of voters who oppose additional data centers, 36% strongly oppose more development, compared with 21% who only somewhat oppose it. On the other hand, among the 34% of supporters, 10% strongly support new data center construction, while 24% only somewhat support.

@foolamongstmany.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 5:16 AM

Hey my Utah peeps,
I'll see you there!

#utpol

@danielmwoodruff.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 3:44 AM

WATCH: Sen. John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, is teaming up with a Democrat to try to expand benefits for families of wildland firefighters who die in the line of duty www.ksl.com/article/5163... #utpol

@schotthappens.com Oct 6, 2026, 6:35 PM

Former Rep. Trevor Lee wanted Charlie Kirk's name on a Salt Lake City street.

Now the former lawmaker has hired the attorneys defending Kirk's accused killer to fight four felony fraud charges.

Read more at the link:
utahpolitics.news/trevor-lee-h...

#utpol

@katrinakatrinka.infosec.exchange.ap.brid.gy Oct 6, 2026, 5:55 PM

Oh, goodie. 🙄
#Utah #utpol #AI

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 12:46 AM

To say the plaintiffs were less-than-thrilled to be here is an understatement. @ppacutah.bsky.social's Shireen Ghorbani called the whole thing government "overreach." @lwvutah.bsky.social's Katharine Biele says it's all to "salve" the "fragile feelings" of the legislature... #utpol #Utah

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 12:46 AM

The newly-expanded Utah Supreme Court takes up some major cases involving abortion rights, independent redistricting and climate change – but it’s really about the legislature’s special court to handle legal challenges over laws the legislature passes: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah

@utahnewsdispatch.com Oct 5, 2026, 11:54 PM

A trio of hearings marked the first high-profile cases to come before the newly expanded seven-member Utah Supreme Court, and they are among the first to spotlight how the court’s four newly appointed justices operate from the bench. #utpol

@schotthappens.com Oct 5, 2026, 9:57 PM

An internal poll obtained by Utah Political Watch shows Democrat Celeste Johnson leading Republican Luke Searle by nine points.

Donald Trump won this district by almost 11 points in 2024. #utpol

utahpolitics.news/democrat-lea...

@utahnewsdispatch.com Oct 5, 2026, 9:47 PM

Utah's top election chief, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, doesn’t mince words. Even though she shares her Republican party affiliation with Sen. Mike Lee and the president, she’s been a fierce advocate against their efforts to restrict voting by mail. #utpol

@benwinslow.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 3:36 PM

HAPPENING NOW: The Utah Supreme Court is hearing back-to-back-to-back legal challenges to the new "constitutional court" to hear lawsuits over laws the legislature passes. @fox13news.bsky.social is streaming the arguments live. Watch here: www.fox13now.com/news/politic... #utpol #Utah

@kuer.org Oct 5, 2026, 2:44 PM

Henderson doesn't know what the “end game” is for all of these efforts “because I am not creative enough, maybe — or devious enough — to think about what in the world the motivation could be.” #utah #utpol #elections2026

Produced in partnership w/ @utahnewsdispatch.com

@criterdee.bsky.social Oct 5, 2026, 2:43 PM

Screenshot of an article in today’s Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com

Trump’s “quiet phase” of immigration round ups is occurring throughout the country.

Most come here legally for work, navigating a complex legal system. They are arrested anyway.
#utpol

Screenshot of an article in today’s Salt Lake Tribune. Titled, “ICE enforcement in a small Utah town sent a community into fear. Local police played a key role”.

Author Samantha Moilanen for the SLT. A photo of a turkey processing plant in Sanpete (UT) is shown and is courtesy of Google Maps.

Article discusses the ICE raid of the plant last week, and the role local police played in five arrests that took place.