Executive Summary
- The Utah Supreme Court dismissed a Republican appeal due to a lack of jurisdiction, preserving a court-drawn congressional map.
- The upheld map unifies Salt Lake County, creating a district that favors Democratic candidates for one of the state’s four House seats.
- The ruling follows an earlier decision striking down the legislature’s map for circumventing anti-gerrymandering standards.
- President Donald Trump had advocated for mid-decade redistricting in GOP-led states to assist in retaining House control.
- A separate appeal regarding the map’s constitutionality remains pending in federal court.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal filed by Republican lawmakers, effectively maintaining a court-adopted congressional map that consolidates Salt Lake County and provides Democrats with a viable opportunity to secure one of the state’s four U.S. House seats in the upcoming election.
In an order signed by Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant, the court dismissed the challenge, stating it lacked “jurisdiction over Legislative Defendants’ appeal.” The decision sustains a map implemented by a lower court in November, which replaced a previous district configuration that had divided the heavily Democratic population center of Salt Lake County among four Republican-held districts. The current map creates a district where Democratic candidates are statistically favored to win, significantly altering the state’s electoral landscape.
Senate President Stuart Adams, a Republican, criticized the high court’s dismissal, stating that the “chaos continues” and pledging to defend a process that he argues respects the Constitution. Conversely, Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, commended the decision, noting that it allows the election process to proceed without disruption to administrators or voters weeks before the filing deadline.
The legal dispute traces back to an August ruling by Judge Dianna Gibson, who struck down the legislature’s post-2020 census map. Judge Gibson determined that lawmakers had improperly circumvented voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards. The redistricting battle in Utah has gained national attention, occurring as President Donald Trump urged Republican-led legislatures to pursue mid-decade redistricting to bolster the GOP’s efforts to retain control of the House in 2026.
Electoral & Legislative Implications
The Utah Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene stabilizes the immediate electoral map for the 2026 cycle, potentially narrowing the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives by making one Utah seat competitive for Democrats. This ruling underscores the growing role of state judiciaries in checking legislative power regarding redistricting, particularly in states where voters have enacted anti-gerrymandering measures. While the state-level legal avenue appears closed for Republican challengers, a pending federal lawsuit creates lingering uncertainty. However, with filing deadlines approaching, the likelihood of reverting to the legislature’s preferred map diminishes, signaling a shift in Utah’s political geography for the upcoming term.
