SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge on Monday rejected a new sentence. parliamentary map It adopted an alternative plan drafted by Republican lawmakers that would create Democratic-leaning districts for the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans held all four U.S. House seats in Utah and were poised to defend the party.
Justice Deanna Gibson ruled just before a midnight deadline that the new congressional map “unfairly favors Republicans and disadvantages Democrats.”
She had ordered lawmakers to draw maps that adhered to standards set by voters to ensure districts did not intentionally favor a particular political party, a practice known as gerrymandering. If that fails, Gibson warned that he may consider other maps submitted by plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to the destruction of Utah’s existing maps.
Gibson ultimately chose a map drawn by the plaintiffs, the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government. Instead of dividing the Democratic-heavy population center into all four districts, as had been the case in the past, Salt Lake County was almost entirely contained within one district.
The judge’s ruling throws a curveball at a state Republicans had hoped to win sweepingly as they work to increase the number of seats up for grabs in other areas. Nationally, Democrats need to win three seats to wrest control of the House from Republicans next year, but Republicans are trying to buck the historic pattern of the president’s party losing seats in midterm elections.
The newly approved maps will significantly increase Democrats’ chances of flipping seats in states that have not had a Democrat in Congress since early 2021.
“This is a win for all of Utah,” Democrats in the state House and Senate said in a joint statement. “We have taken an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the true measure of that promise.”
Gibson in August Destroyed Utah state legislative map It was adopted after the 2020 census because Congress circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters.
The ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle as President Donald Trump urges other Republican-led states to hold redistricting elections. Redistricting in mid-decade Some Democratic states are considering new maps of their own, and California voters last week approved a map that gives Democrats a chance to pick up five more seats. Republican Party is still first In the redistricting battle.
Redistricting typically occurs once every 10 years after the census. There are no federal restrictions on redistricting in mid-decade, but some states (led by Democrats rather than Republicans) have set their own restrictions. The Utah ruling was an unexpected boost for Democrats, whose chances of winning seats have diminished due to redistricting.
If Mr. Gibson had approved the maps drawn by lawmakers instead, all four districts would still lean Republican, but two districts would have been slightly competitive with Democrats. Their proposal bet on the Republican Party’s ability. protect all 4 seats Rather than creating a single leftist district, under much tighter margins.
The ruling came minutes before midnight on a day the state’s top elections official said was the latest possible date to enact new congressional maps to give county clerks enough time to prepare candidate filings for the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans argue that Gibson does not have the legal authority to enact maps that have not been approved by Congress. State Representative Matt McPherson called the ruling a “gross abuse of power” and said he has introduced a bill calling for Gibson’s impeachment.
In his ruling, Gibson said he was obligated to have legal maps in place by the deadline.
