SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge has denied a challenge by an unsuccessful candidate for the San Juan County Commission and ruled that newly-sworn-in Commissioner Willie Grayeyes is a Utah resident.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that District Judge Don Torgerson ruled Tuesday that Grayeyes has lived on the Utah side of Navajo Mountain his entire life.
A member of the Navajo Nation, Grayeyes was sworn in Jan. 7 along with fellow Democrat Kenneth Maryboy, giving the county commission its first Native American majority.
Republican Kelly Laws sought to undo Grayeyes' November election victory, contending that Grayeyes was really an Arizona resident and therefore ineligible to hold elected office in Utah.
In a separate ruling, a federal judge before the election reinstated Grayeyes' candidacy when it was challenged by another unsuccessful Republican candidate.