Judge Dianna Gibson Orders Utah to Redraw Congressional Map

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson on Tuesday ruled that Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature must redraw its congressional district map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, finding that lawmakers overstepped by overturning a voter-approved anti-gerrymandering measure.

In a decision issued Monday evening, Gibson held that the Legislature’s repeal of Proposition 4 and enactment of Senate Bill 200 “was unconstitutional,” because it nullified the standards established by voters to prevent partisan advantage in district drawing. “Allowing the product of an unconstitutional act to be used in the upcoming 2026 election is harm that is irreparable,” Gibson wrote, and thus the current map is permanently enjoined from use.

The ruling reinstates the independent redistricting commission created by Proposition 4, which Utah voters approved in 2018 to ensure fair and transparent congressional, legislative and school board boundaries. Gibson gave state lawmakers until Sept. 24 to submit new maps that comply with those standards.

Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President J. Stuart Adams issued a joint statement expressing disappointment but affirming their commitment to review the ruling and consider “next steps,” which may include an appeal to the Utah Supreme Court and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. The state’s leadership argued that the judiciary had intruded upon the Legislature’s constitutional authority to draw districts.

Voting-rights advocates celebrated the decision as a vindication of the people’s right to reform government. Emma Petty Addams of Mormon Women for Ethical Government called it “a win for every Utahn who believes that government should serve the people,” while the League of Women Voters of Utah hailed it as a watershed moment for fair representation.

With this order, Utah joins other battleground states contesting redistricting laws in the broader national debate over partisan gerrymandering and electoral fairness ahead of the 2026 midterms.