SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge ruled late Monday that a map drawn by state lawmakers and submitted by the Utah Legislature unfairly favored Republicans.
Judge Diana Gibson of Utah’s 3rd District Court made the late-night ruling and selected a map, referred to as “Map 1,” brought by plaintiffs in the case, the League of Women Voters. The ruling narrowly upheld the Nov. 10 deadline to select a new map in the state ahead of the 2026 midterm election.
The map drawn by lawmakers, referred to as “Map C,” was submitted to the court in September after Gibson initially ordered the existing map be redrawn to better align with the state’s redistricting law, Proposition 4.
A comparison of two maps, with Map C being the map that Utah lawmakers proposed, and Map 1 being the map proposed by the League of Women Voters. (Utah 3rd District Court, KSL TV)
The decision prompted Gov. Spencer Cox to call the Legislature into a special session, where Map C was selected and submitted.
In October, Map C was contested in court after a series of statistical tests were performed. A witness called by the plaintiffs suggested that, based on the data collected, Map C was “more heavily Republican than almost all of the computer-simulated plans.”
GOP lawmakers meanwhile argued the fairness of Map C while quickly implementing a new repeal of Proposition 4 and referendum to throw out the very map they argued for in court. They have until Nov. 15 to gather the signatures needed for both efforts to move forward.
By midnight, some lawmakers were threatening to file articles of impeachment against Judge Gibson, with others calling her decision a display of “judicial activism.”
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson stated contrarily that she would comply with Gibson’s ruling and immediately implement Map 1 “unless otherwise ordered by an appeals court.”
Simultaneously, Utah Democrats celebrated the decision:
We, the Utah House and Senate Democrats, feel a deep sense of hope and relief following Judge Gibson’s decision to adopt the plaintiffs’ Map 1. This is a win for every Utahn. We took an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the truest measure of that promise.
This is a breaking news story. It may be updated.