CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

Utah GOP-Led Legislature to Appeal Court-Ordered Map That Carves Out Democratic Seat in Salt Lake City

The Republican-led Utah Legislature said it will appeal a district judge’s court-ordered congressional map to the state Supreme Court after the new map creates a reliably Democratic seat around Salt Lake City. Gov. Spencer Cox plans a special session on Dec. 9 that could delay candidate filing deadlines while legal challenges continue. Lawmakers have also discussed impeaching Judge Dianna Gibson. The dispute stems from 2018’s Proposition 4 and an ongoing legal fight over whether Legislature-drawn maps comply with that reform.

03:18 AM, 11/26/2025Politics
Utah GOP-Led Legislature to Appeal Court-Ordered Map That Carves Out Democratic Seat in Salt Lake City

Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature announced Tuesday it will appeal a court-ordered congressional map to the state Supreme Court after a district judge approved a map that creates a reliably Democratic district centered on Salt Lake City.

Senate President Stuart Adams said Gov. Spencer Cox will call a special legislative session on Dec. 9, likely to postpone the state’s candidate filing deadline while the appeal proceeds. Adams called the judge’s map “the most partisan and thus the most gerrymandered map in the history of the state of Utah.”

House Speaker Mike Schultz said the Legislature is waiting for Judge Dianna Gibson — who was appointed by former Gov. Gary Herbert — to finalize her decision, at which point lawmakers will take the case to the Utah Supreme Court. Several legislators have also signaled they may pursue impeachment proceedings against Gibson.

Background

The dispute traces back to voters’ 2018 approval of Proposition 4, which created an independent redistricting commission designed to limit partisan gerrymandering. The GOP-controlled Legislature later reduced the commission to an advisory role and drew a congressional map that produced four safely Republican districts. That map prompted a lawsuit, and Judge Gibson ordered the Legislature to redraw lines in August.

After the Legislature passed a replacement map in October that again yielded four Republican-leaning districts and Gov. Cox signed it, Gibson rejected that version as inconsistent with Proposition 4’s requirements and approved a court-drawn map that shifts one seat into the Salt Lake City area.

Political implications

The court-ordered map puts Utah’s four incumbent Republican members into competition for only three likely GOP seats, while creating a competitive Democratic primary in the Salt Lake City-based district. Former Rep. Ben McAdams, the last Democrat to represent Utah in Congress, is among several candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

Adams said the Legislature will “try our best” to adopt a new map before the 2026 elections. Schultz framed the effort as returning map-making power to voters and the Legislature, rather than leaving the outcome to a single judge.

Key dates: Special session expected Dec. 9; implications for candidate filing deadlines depend on the outcome of any appeals.

Similar Articles

Trending