Utah Legislature votes to censure embattled school board member Natalie Cline — not impeach

The Utah Legislature on Thursday voted to condemn and censure — but not impeach — embattled Utah State Board of Education member Natalie Cline. 

The resolution, HCR18, became public minutes before first the House, then the Senate, voted in short order to take action on it. The House voted 72-2 (with only Rep. Brett Garner, D-West Valley City, and Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding voting against). The Senate voted unanimously to pass the resolution, with Sen. David Hinkins, R-Ferron, initially casting a “no” vote before switching it to a “yes” at the last second. 

Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature opted not to go as far as to initiate impeachment proceedings for Cline — even though House Democrats had a substitute prepared to do just that.

“If we do move forward with an impeachment, what it will do is it will give (Cline) and people like her the attention they seek,” Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, said on the House floor. 

The legislative action came after Cline faced swift and far-reaching public outrage last week when she posted a photo on Facebook of a female high school basketball player, incorrectly suggesting the girl was transgender. 

The post prompted a barrage of hateful comments, in which some of Cline’s followers criticized the player and her appearance, named her and her school, threatened her and referred to her with vulgar language. 

Spendlove argued social media can be “destructive” when it “elevates the voices of people who establish extreme views.”

“These people crave attention. And they will do anything to get this attention, even resorting to outrageous and abhorrent behavior,” Spendlove said. “We must not allow them to get the attention they seek. We should quickly pass this resolution and refocus our attention on the important work we have left to do (during this session).” 

Debate on the House floor was cut short by a voice vote before House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, could present her substitute. It would have changed the resolution to create a special investigative committee to investigate Cline, potentially for malfeasance for harming a student when she’s elected to protect and serve them. 

Romero was visibly upset in an interview with Utah News Dispatch outside the House chamber immediately after the House’s vote, saying she and other House Democrats were “really disappointed right now.” 

“The parents wanted an impeachment,” Romero said. “To not even be given the opportunity to discuss this on the House floor … is very disappointing.” 

Hours after the House and Senate passed the resolution, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox quickly signed it, issuing a statement that the “vast majority of Utahns agree Natalie Cline’s behavior was unacceptable.” 

“I’ve spoken with the student’s parents and I’m heartbroken for this family,” Cox said. “We agree with the actions of both the State Board of Education and Legislature, and we hope the voters will hold her equally accountable this fall.”

Natalie Cline controversy

Cline’s post prompted security and safety concerns around the student and her school, according to Granite School District. Cline, a conservative board member, eventually deleted the post, replacing it with a lengthy comment in which she gave her “deepest apologies” to the student and her family. But she also said her original post “never claimed the student was a boy,” while commenting on the girl’s body.

In the following days, Cline faced a wave of calls for her resignation — from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson; some Utah lawmakers, the Granite School District Board of Education, where the girl attends school; individual city councils; and the girl’s parents. 

The student’s parents, Al and Rachel van der Beek, called for impeachment of Cline “following an adequate due process,” in a Thursday op-ed in the The Salt Lake Tribune. They said they’re putting their trust in elected officials and urged them to “do the right thing.” 

House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, held a joint news conference shortly after the House and Senate votes to applaud the censure. 

It’s the first time Utah lawmakers have censured an elected official, said Spendlove, as did the resolution’s Senate sponsor, Senate Majority Whip Ann Millner. 

“Never before in the history of the Legislature have we censured anyone,” Adams said. “This is something we take very seriously.”

Adams and Schultz again expressed apologies for the student and her family. 

“What they’re going through is unprecedented, and it’s unforgivable on so many fronts,” Schultz said. 

On the Senate floor, Millner laid out why Cline should be censured. 

“Elected school board officials are charged to provide safe and civil school environments, where students are treated with dignity and respect, and bullying is not tolerated,” Millner said. “Board member Cline violated this trust when she irresponsibly posted a picture of a high school student on social media, exposing that young woman to threats and bullying.” 

Millner said the “most important thing to remember is this has impacted a young girl’s life.” 

“What if it were your child?” Millner said. “No child should be bullied, especially by adults. Let alone by an elected official in a position of trust. Not only was this girl targeted, but (so was) her family, her basketball team, and her entire school.” 

What does a legislative censure do?

Other than sending a strong message, the censure does not have a practical impact. Cline still retains her elected position, though the state school board’s rare censure Wednesday night strips her of her committee assignments, prohibits her from placing items on board agendas and bans her from attending advisory meetings. It’s effective through the end of the year. 

The governor, during his monthly PBS Utah news conference Thursday morning, said he would support what lawmakers choose to do, including possibly impeachment, but he said the state school board’s actions have already effectively had the same impact as impeachment. 

“So whether or not she’s impeached, it probably is immaterial at this point because that is in effect what has happened,” Cox said. 

Yes, the state school board’s censure strips her of many elected duties and privileges — but it does not have the same impact as impeachment in that Cline still has her elected seat and can still run for re-election or for another office. 

Cline is up for re-election this year. She’s being challenged in the Republican primary by Amanda Bollinger, a Jordan School District administrator. Her Democratic challenger is Will Shiflett, executive director of a business program at Salt Lake Community College.

Cline has not returned repeated requests for comment, but has posted on her Facebook page, decrying the state school board’s action against her as “election interference” and complaining that the board moved too fast to allow her “appropriate due process.” 

Earlier Thursday morning, before House and Senate GOP caucuses met behind closed doors to decide on the censure, Speaker Schultz said some House Republicans were “scattered” on whether to impeach or to do something else to punish Cline and “send a strong message” against her behavior. 

Schultz also hinted lawmakers wouldn’t be going through with impeachment, warning there might be unintended consequences — including further harming the student and putting Utah in the national spotlight for undesirable reasons.

“If this body goes through impeachment, this blows up like a mushroom cloud on a national stage,” Schultz said. “The hate that you’re seeing directed towards that family right now, then becomes national. … And it’s not fair to the family.”

Schultz said Thursday morning lawmakers were grappling with a “hard decision.” But hours later, Republican caucuses made up their mind: to censure, not impeach.  

Why no debate on impeachment?

On the House floor, several Republicans expressed their dismay at Cline’s “outrageous” behavior for “bullying” a child. 

Spendlove read directly from the resolution, which states the Legislature “condemns and denounces (Cline’s) repugnant attack on a student in the strongest possible terms and finds such behavior irreconcilable with the responsibilities” of a state school board member. 

Only one Democrat was allowed to speak on the House floor on the resolution to censure Cline before a lawmaker motioned to end debate, which prompted a voice vote. 

Schultz determined that voice vote passed, which ended debate. It wasn’t challenged, so the House immediately moved on to the vote. 

After debate ended, several Democrats on the House floor appeared to be caught off guard and visibly frustrated. 

“There should have been a conversation about impeachment on the House floor,” Romero said. She and other House Democrats argued the censure “doesn’t go far enough.” 

“This woman, who’s a trusted person on the state school board, bullied a young girl. Made her a target,” Romero said. “This is not about elections. This is not about whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican. This is about an elected official who took it too far. And us not being allowed to voice our opinion and our concern to have it impeached is sad.” 

The Utah House Democratic Leadership Team on the Vote to Censure Utah School Board Member Natalie Cline pic.twitter.com/XmhIPNPyY4

— Utah House Democrats (@utahhousedems) February 15, 2024

The only Democrat to vote against the resolution censuring Cline, Rep. Brett Garner, posted on X that he voted “no” because if his wife, as a teacher, were to do something similar to Cline, “she would be fired.” He questioned why Cline should be held to a different standard, and said censuring rather than impeaching “is an endorsement of her actions.” 

Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, posted a statement saying he was “extremely angry” that the Utah Legislature didn’t move to impeach, and he knew of “some Republicans just as upset.” 

“With this, we are giving elected officials the OK to bully children; we are giving in to the extreme voices in our state that condone this behavior,” Stoddard said. “And we are showing that we prize our seats over the safety and well-being of our school children.” 

Pressed on why debate was cut short before Romero’s substitute for impeachment proceedings could be considered, Schultz told reporters “that’s part of the process” and the voice vote was indicative of where the debate would land anyway.

“I think that shows that there wasn’t going to be enough support needed for the articles of impeachment,” Schultz said, noting it would require a two-thirds majority vote to be successful. 

“Our body knew that that was going to happen. Rather than allow this political theater to play out, I think (lawmakers wanted) the focus to be on what was best for the family and not make it about a political statement.” 

Romero argued during a news conference by House Democrats that Cline “shattered” the public trust as an elected official. “That’s why we wanted to start the proceedings of impeachment.”

“Her refusal to acknowledge and address her actions through resignation is very disappointing,” she said. “Censureship can only do so much.” 

Romero said Cline has a history of saying “horrific things” on social media about LGBTQ+ kids and people of color. “Yes, she has freedom of speech,” Romero said, but she “crossed the line … when she cyberbullied a child.” 

By censuring her and not impeaching, Utah lawmakers are sending a message “we’re not taking this seriously,” Romero said.

Adams and Schultz argued the opposite, repeatedly saying the Utah Legislature has never taken such a step. They said Cline should resign for herself, and if not, voters should take her fate into their hands.  

Does censure fall short?

Alliance for a Better Utah, a progressive nonprofit, earlier this week launched a petition asking the Legislature to remove Cline from office. The group said it had collected about 2,500 signatures in a matter of days. 

“While censure is a fine first step, the Legislature’s failure to remove Ms. Cline is a failure to protect Utah’s children and stand up for the ‘Utah way,’” said Jeff Merchant, executive director of Alliance for a Better Utah. 

“Legislators have an obligation and duty to show Utahns that this type of behavior by an elected official will not be tolerated,” Merchant added, calling impeachment “the appropriate course of action.”

Marina Lowe, policy director for Equality Utah, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, expressed gratitude that there was “universal — almost universal — condemnation of really repugnant, horrible behavior.” 

However, “we feel like this falls short of what is due,” Lowe said, noting the censure resolution recognizes “that her behavior is irreconcilable with the duties of being a state school board member. So if that is the case, it’s difficult to understand why they’re not taking her out of that role.” 

If Cline has not resigned up until this point, it’s unlikely that another censure — even if it comes from the Legislature — will push her to step down, Lowe said. 

“All of the nice words and statements, if you sum them all up, everybody is saying, ‘She’s not fit to serve in this role,’” Lowe said. “And so if you’re no longer fit to serve in your role, you should be removed from that role.” 

Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla noted on the Senate floor before the body voted to pass the censure, that the Legislature still retains the option of impeachment should circumstances arise in the future” from Cline, who she said already has a “lengthy history of hateful and discriminatory rhetoric, including homophobic, transphobic and racist comments.”  

Though her House counterparts said they believed a censure didn’t go far enough, Escamilla said she believed the resolution still sent a “clear message” that Cline’s behavior is not accepted in Utah. 

“No child should be subject to hate and bullying,” Escamilla said, “especially from someone who holds a position of trust and leadership.”