Court Denies Utah GOP Bid to Block House Map Aiding Dems

New Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at winning a U.S. House seat can be used in this year's election, a federal court ruled Monday while turning aside a Republican request to block the new map.

The ruling marked the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who also lost an appeal at the state Supreme Court.

A Utah judge imposed the new districts last November after striking down the congressional districts that the Republican-led Legislature had adopted after the 2020 census. The judge ruled that the Legislature had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters.