Utah High Court Upholds Map That Could Give Democrats Congressional Seat

Utah's highest court has declined to hear a Republican challenge to new congressional district boundaries. The redistricting creates a Democratic-friendly district that could flip a House seat currently held by the GOP.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s highest court declined Friday to consider Republican legislators’ challenge to new congressional boundaries that could hand Democrats control of one of the state’s four GOP-held House seats this November.

Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant wrote in the court’s order that justices lack “jurisdiction over Legislative Defendants’ appeal.”

The Republican lawmakers were challenging a November ruling where a state judge implemented congressional boundaries that create a district favorable to Democrats, replacing a map designed to keep all four House seats in Republican hands.

Under the new boundaries, Salt Lake County remains largely consolidated in a single district rather than being split across all four districts as before — a change that keeps the heavily Democratic area’s voting power intact.

GOP legislators contend the court overstepped its authority by implementing district lines the Legislature never approved.

Republican Senate President Stuart Adams criticized Friday’s decision, declaring the “chaos continues.”

“We will keep defending a process that respects the Constitution and ensures Utah voters across our state have their voices respected,” Adams stated.

Katharine Biele, who leads the League of Women Voters of Utah and was among those who sued over the original map, praised the court’s action.

“We are encouraged that the court dismissed this improper appeal and allowed the process to move forward without disruption to voters or election administrators,” Biele said.

The redistricting controversy began with an August ruling by Judge Dianna Gibson, who invalidated Utah’s post-2020 census congressional map after finding lawmakers ignored voter-approved anti-gerrymandering measures.

The dispute has thrust Utah into a nationwide redistricting fight, particularly after President Donald Trump called on Republican-controlled states to redraw maps mid-decade to help the GOP maintain House control in 2026.

The court-approved boundaries significantly improve Democratic chances of winning a seat in a state that hasn’t sent a Democrat to Congress since early 2021.

Emma Petty Addams, who co-leads Mormon Women for Ethical Government and also sued over the original map, said Friday that “the courts have provided an important check on the Legislature, affirming the people’s constitutional right to alter and reform their government.”

The decision arrives just weeks before candidates must file paperwork to run for reelection.

A separate federal lawsuit remains active, filed in February by two of Utah’s Republican House members. That case argues the state judge violated federal constitutional principles by rejecting the GOP-controlled Legislature’s district boundaries.