Federal court rejects GOP-led Utah Legislature's latest try to block
House map that helps Democrats
[February 24, 2026]
By DAVID A. LIEB A
New Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at
winning a U.S. House seat can be used in this year’s election, a federal
court ruled Monday while turning aside a Republican request to block the
new map.
The ruling marked the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who
also lost an appeal at Utah's state Supreme Court.
A Utah judge imposed the new districts last November after striking down
the congressional districts that the Republican-led Legislature had
adopted after the 2020 census. The judge ruled that the Legislature had
circumvented standards against partisan gerrymandering that were
approved by voters in 2018.
The judge's ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle
being waged among states ahead of the midterm elections. President
Donald Trump has pressed Republican-led states such as Texas, Missouri
and North Carolina to redraw their districts to give the GOP an
advantage in the November elections, prompting Democratic-led states
such as California and Virginia to respond with their own redistricting
plans.
Republicans currently hold all four of Utah’s U.S. House seats.
The new map imposed last fall by Judge Dianna Gibson improves Democrats'
chances of winning a seat by keeping Salt Lake County almost entirely
within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic
population center among all four districts, as was previously the case.
The map had been submitted to the court by the League of Women Voters of
Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government — the plaintiffs who
challenged the previous districts.
“We’re pleased that the court protected the fair map," Katharine Biele,
president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, said Monday. "We only
wish that the future attempts to undermine this fair map would cease, so
we could focus on what is important to Utahns.”
Earlier this month, Republican U.S. Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess
Owens joined with nearly a dozen local officials to file a federal
lawsuit arguing that the state judge did not have legal authority to
enact a map that wasn’t approved by the Legislature.
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Flags fly at the Utah State Capitol, Jan. 18, 2026, in Salt Lake
City. (AP Photo/Sydney Schaefer, File)
But a panel of three district court judges denied their request for
a preliminary injunction against using the new map in this year’s
election. The federal court said they weren’t likely to prevail in
their argument, and said it was too late for judges to intervene in
the election.
The filing period for Utah’s congressional candidates opens March 9,
party caucuses are scheduled for March 17, and state party
conventions are to be held April 25. Some candidates already are
campaigning, the court noted.
“An active primary is ongoing, and the election has drawn too close
for the court to get involved,” the court wrote while adding: “The
possibility of voter confusion is a considerable risk were the panel
to enjoin the current election map.”
The Congress members and local officials who sued issued a joint
statement expressing “profound disappointment but respect for the
court's careful review.”
Republicans still are pursuing other means of undoing the new maps.
A Republican-backed group recently submitted petition signatures to
try to get a measure on the November ballot repealing an independent
redistricting commission and the provision against partisan
gerrymandering.
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