The Utah Legislature announced on Tuesday it plans to appeal the state's congressional map that could give Democrats an additional seat.
Legislators said they plan to appeal to the state Supreme Court after a district judge unveiled a new map that establishes a seat in a blue area around Salt Lake City.
The map was drawn by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
It keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was the case previously.
All four of Utah's congressional seats are currently held by Republicans.
"By design or by default, Judge [Dianna] Gibson has authorized the most partisan and thus the most gerrymandered map in the history of the state of Utah," Senate President Stuart Adams said at a press conference in Salt Lake City Tuesday.
Legislators had previously discussed impeaching Gibson, which earned them a rebuke from the Utah State Bar.
Adams said Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, will call a special session on Dec. 9 to delay the state's filing deadline.
In 2018, Utahns approved Proposition 4, which created an independent redistricting commission, though the legislature later passed a law in 2020 that reduced the commission to an advisory role.
A map drawn by the legislature was challenged in court and Gibson ordered it redrawn.
The legislature approved a new map in October, which Cox signed into law, but Gibson rejected that map too, saying it "unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats."
Cox had previously said he supports the legislature's plans to appeal the ruling.
"The Utah Constitution clearly states that it is the responsibility of the Legislature to divide the state into congressional districts," Cox wrote on social media.
"While I respect the Court's role in our system, no judge, and certainly no advocacy group, can usurp that constitutional authority."
Four Republicans must now compete for three Republican seats, with many expecting Rep. Burgess Owens to retire, Politico reported.
A crowded primary has also begun to emerge in Utah's new 1st Congressional District, as former Rep. Ben McAdams, Utah's last Democrat to serve in Congress, attempts to return to Washington.
Kamala Harris won Utah's newly created district by 24 points in the 2024 presidential election.
Utah Speaker of the House Mike Schultz said his goal is to have people choose their congressional maps, not a judge.
"We've said as a Legislature over and over and over again that our focus right now is standing to get the people's voice back and to find a pathway forward so that the people are the ones choosing the maps, not one judge," Schultz said.
Sam Barron ✉
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