Judge paves way for Legislature to appeal redistricting ruling to Utah Supreme Court

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge has partially granted a request from the Legislature to certify her August ruling throwing out the state’s old congressional maps, opening the door for lawmakers to take the issue to the Utah Supreme Court.

Acknowledging the ruling created an “imperfect” path for appeal for the Legislature going forward and that the latest legal wrangling over congressional districts had put the court “between the proverbial rock and a hard spot,” 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson agreed to certify her earlier rulings but denied a request to enter a final judgment in the ongoing case, saying several claims have yet to be resolved.

“With election deadlines imminent, the legislative defendants repeatedly stated they intended to appeal but then intentionally elected not to utilize the more appropriate appellate tools available to them,” Gibson wrote in an order filed Friday. “Instead, the legislative defendants attempt to argue to this court that this entire case and plaintiffs’ Count V are ‘essentially’ final. … Quite literally — this court is between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. This entire case is not ‘final.'”

Gibson agreed, however, that her rulings have dealt with important legal issues. And because the outcome will impact the political boundaries that divide Utah voters into various congressional districts, she said her orders “should be reviewed by the Utah Supreme Court as quickly as possible.”

“This was not an easy call,” Gibson wrote. “The legislative defendants had a direct, nondiscretionary right to immediately and directly appeal to the Utah Supreme Court from both the Aug. 25, 2025, ruling and order, which enjoined SB200 and the 2021 congressional map and the Nov. 10, 2025, ruling and order, which enjoined SB1011 and Map C. They chose not to appeal. No legitimate reason was offered for failing to appeal. Now, they seek a third imperfect avenue requesting the court certify its Aug. 25, 2025, ruling and order as final, to allow them to appeal under Utah law.”

Lawmakers, who have harshly criticized Gibson’s rulings that threw out congressional maps they drew, are expected to take the issue to the Supreme Court. The Legislature passed a resolution earlier this month condemning the courts and voted to push back the filing date for congressional candidates to March, in hopes that the high court would intervene before then by restoring their map in time for the 2026 elections.

Spokespersons for House and Senate leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The fight over Utah’s congressional maps could have significant impacts on party control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 elections. Republicans hold all four of the state’s congressional seats, but the remedial map Gibson selected in November creates a Salt Lake City-centered district that could give Utah Democrats a seat in Congress.

That map was submitted by attorneys for the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and several individuals who sued the Legislature in 2022 for replacing Proposition 4, a ballot initiative that passed in 2018, creating an independent redistricting commission and setting standards meant to prevent partisan gerrymandering.

The Utah Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the Legislature had overreached the people’s right to alter or reform their government by altering Proposition 4, and in August, Gibson tossed the map used in the 2024 elections, saying they stemmed from an unconstitutional act.

Lawmakers adopted a remedial map in October, but that was also rejected by Gibson, who said it represented an “extreme partisan outlier.”

The Legislature convenes its 45-day legislative session on Jan. 20, during which it is likely to consider more ways to push back on Proposition 4 and ballot initiatives generally, possibly by proposing a constitutional amendment to clarify its power to overturn or amend initiatives.

The Utah Republican Party is also pushing a ballot initiative of its own to repeal Proposition 4 altogether. If the party collects enough signatures, voters will weigh in on the future of the law in November.