A federal court on Monday refused to block a new congressional map that could dramatically alter the state’s House delegation, potentially handing Democrats a seat they’ve never won in decades.
The ruling marks the second legal defeat for Republicans afterUtah’s Supreme Court also declined to intervenein the escalating redistricting fight ahead of next year’s election cycle.
The controversy stems from a November decision by a Utah district judge who struck down congressional districts drawn by the Republican-led Legislature following the 2020 census.
Last year, the Utah Third District Courtstruck down the congressional mapcrafted by the Republican-led state legislature, labeling it an unconstitutional “gerrymander” and replacing it with a map drawn by left-wing plaintiffs.
The new map, which the court claims better complies with the state’s anti-gerrymandering initiative, is projected to give Democrats an additional seat in one of the nation’s deeply red states.
The Court, led by Judge Dianna M. Gibson, has thrown out the legislature’s S.B. 1012 (Map C) and S.B. 1011, both approved earlier this year by the state’s duly elected representatives.
And instead adopts “Map 1,” drawn by the plaintiffs themselves, after declaring that the legislature’s map “unduly favored Republicans.”
“Map C was drawn with partisan political data on display,” wrote Gibson.
“In short, [the Legislature’s map] does not comply with Utah law,” Gibson wrote in her ruling.
“Because the Lieutenant Governor’s November 10, 2025, deadline for a map to be finalized is upon us, the Court bears the unwelcome obligation to ensure that a lawful map is in place, which the Court discharges by adopting.”
Source: The Gateway Pundit
