Federal Court Upholds Democratic-Friendly Utah Congressional Map, Rejects GOP Challenge
A drone view shows a protest at the Utah State Capitol building in a demonstration that is part of larger "Hands off" events organized nationwide against U.S. President Donald Trump, in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., April 5, 2025. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
By Sam Barron | Monday, February 23, 2026
A federal court rejected an attempt by Utah Republicans to throw out a court-ordered congressional map that would create a Democrat-friendly district.
Utah’s four congressional seats are currently held by Republicans.
The ruling marked the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who also lost an appeal at the Utah Supreme Court.
The districts were imposed by a judge last November after he ruled the Utah Legislature circumvented standards against partisan gerrymandering that were approved by voters in 2018 and struck down a map adopted after the 2020 census.
The new map keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely in one district. Salt Lake City, which has voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump by more than 10 points in the last election, is a reliably blue part of Utah.
Republicans had split Salt Lake County into four districts during their proposed map. The group, led by Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens and a dozen local officials, argued in their lawsuit that the state judge did not have legal authority to enact a map not approved by the Legislature.
The three-judge panel ruled Republicans were unlikely to prevail in their argument and stated it was too late for judges to intervene in the election. The court noted: “An active primary is ongoing, and the election has drawn too close for the court to get involved. The possibility of voter confusion is a considerable risk were the panel to enjoin the current election map.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said he was not surprised by the decision.
“I think that most people thought that was a little bit of a long shot, but certainly one that was worth trying,” Cox said.
The fight over redistricting continues. A Republican-backed group recently submitted petition signatures to try to get a measure on the November ballot repealing the independent redistricting commission and the provision against partisan gerrymandering.
President Trump recently endorsed the repeal initiative in a social media post, framing the issue as one of voter authority versus judicial overreach.
