A Utah judge on Nov. 10 rejected Republican congressional redistricting maps for the state and adopted a more Democratic-favorable alternate proposal.
Judge Dianna Gibson ruled that the map presented by state lawmakers “unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats.” Currently, all four of Utah’s House of Representatives seats are held by Republicans.
Gibson previously ordered in an Aug. 25 ruling that the state Legislature must draw a new map that would comply with standards established by voters to ensure that districts aren’t drawn to favor a party.
The judge warned that if lawmakers failed, she would consider the maps submitted by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and others.
The ruling followed a 2022 lawsuit brought by the voting rights groups, which sought to challenge the Utah Legislature’s repeal of the voter-approved ballot initiative known as Proposition 4.
The 2018 proposition in question was a bipartisan citizen-led initiative to prevent gerrymandering through the formation of an independent redistricting commission.
Gibson ruled in her order that the Utah Legislature had “unconstitutionally impaired” Utah voters’ rights to reform redistricting by repealing Proposition 4.
After the commission was formed, the Legislature adopted a map in 2021 that divided Salt Lake County among the state’s four congressional districts, and plaintiffs argued that the legislature disregarded the commission’s nonpartisan recommendation on the dividing lines.
Gibson went on to say that, “The Legislature intentionally stripped away all of Proposition 4’s core redistricting standards and procedures that were mandatory and binding on it.
“To permit the 2021 Congressional Plan to remain in place would reward the very constitutional violation this Court has already identified and would nullify the people’s 2018 redistricting reform that they passed through Proposition 4.”
The Nov. 10 ruling, issued shortly before midnight, resulted in Gibson selecting the map drawn by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
The ruling keeps Salt Lake County almost completely in one district, leaving its largely Democratic population in one voting bloc.
“This is a win for every Utahn,” state House and Senate Democrats said in a joint statement. “We took an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the truest measure of that promise.”
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said in a post to X that there likely will be an emergency appeal of the court’s ruling, but “Barring an appellate court ruling, we must begin without delay to ensure that everything is in place for candidate filing in January.”
“The people of Utah deserve an orderly and fair election and we will do everything in our power to administer one,” Henderson said.
