Judge orders redrawing of Utah's congressional map

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A Utah judge ruled on Monday that the state must redraw its congressional map ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, saying Utah's Republican-controlled legislature had overstepped in overruling an earlier ballot measure passed by voters against drawing districts to favor any party.

"Plaintiffs have proven, as a matter of law, that the Legislature unconstitutionally repealed Proposition 4, and enacted SB 200, in violation of the people's fundamental right to reform redistricting in Utah and to prohibit partisan gerrymandering," Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson said in the ruling.

A 2018 ballot proposition had created an independent redistricting commission to recommend congressional maps. The current map in Utah was adopted in 2021. The judge ruled on Monday that the state legislature overstepped when it repealed and replaced the 2018 ballot initiative.

The U.S. is witnessing a nationwide scramble for advantage in the 2026 elections.

President Donald Trump is asking several Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps ahead of next year's midterm elections in an effort to retain control of the House of Representatives. Democrats have made an effort to rework California's congressional maps in response to Texas Republicans pushing through new congressional maps in that state to give themselves more seats in Congress.

Attorneys for the Utah Legislature had indicated that if Gibson did not rule in their favor, they would appeal to the Utah Supreme Court and possibly the U.S. Supreme Court, the Utah News Dispatch reported on Monday.

The Democratic National Committee welcomed Monday's ruling.

Before the 2021 maps were adopted, one of Utah's four U.S. House seats was competitive for Democrats and currently Republicans consistently dominate all four, according to the Utah News Dispatch.

Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives as well as a majority in the U.S. Senate.