The Utah Supreme Court dismissed a Republican appeal and left in place a congressional map that creates a Democratic-leaning district by keeping much of Salt Lake County together. The court said it lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal. The redrawing stems from a lower court’s finding that the Legislature bypassed voter-approved anti-gerrymandering rules; a separate federal challenge by Republican members of Congress is still pending.
Utah Supreme Court Dismisses GOP Appeal, Preserves Map That Boosts Democrats' Chance To Flip A House Seat
FILE - People attend an abortion-rights rally at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, June 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal from Republican lawmakers and left intact a congressional map that creates a Democratic-leaning district and improves Democrats' odds of winning one of Utah's four U.S. House seats this fall.
In an order signed by Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant, the court said it did not have "jurisdiction over Legislative Defendants' appeal," effectively ending this state-level challenge to the lower court's redrawing.
What the Ruling Means
The map adopted by a Utah judge in November keeps much of Salt Lake County together in a single district rather than splitting the county across four districts as in the prior plan. That change concentrates the county's heavily Democratic electorate and creates a district that is significantly more favorable to Democratic candidates.
"The chaos continues," said Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, a Republican. "We will keep defending a process that respects the Constitution and ensures Utah voters across our state have their voices respected."
Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah and a plaintiff in the case, applauded the court's action: "We are encouraged that the court dismissed this improper appeal and allowed the process to move forward without disruption to voters or election administrators." Emma Petty Addams of Mormon Women for Ethical Government called the decision an important check on the Legislature.
Background And Next Steps
The dispute traces to an August decision by Judge Dianna Gibson, who struck down the congressional map drawn after the 2020 census, finding the Legislature had sidestepped voter-approved anti-gerrymandering rules. That ruling led the lower court to adopt a new map that favors a more compact and cohesive Salt Lake County district.
A separate federal lawsuit, filed in February by two Republican members of Utah's congressional delegation, remains pending. That suit argues the state judge's action violated the U.S. Constitution. The state ruling comes weeks before the deadline for candidates to file for reelection, raising the stakes for both parties ahead of the 2024 races.
Context: The map now in place gives Democrats a stronger path to flip a seat in a state that last had a Democratic member of Congress in early 2021. The ruling also folded into a broader national debate over mid-decade redistricting, which former President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to pursue to shore up GOP control of the House.
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