On Monday, Judge Dianna Gibson issued a ruling that has triggered a significant redistricting decision in Utah, ordering the state legislature to redraw its congressional maps due to alleged gerrymandering. The judge determined that the legislature’s actions were unlawful in favor of the Republican Party, requiring a new map to be presented by the end of September for the upcoming midterm elections in 2026.
This decision comes amid growing national attention to gerrymandering, with similar disputes occurring in Texas and California. In Texas, the legislature recently passed maps favoring the Republican Party, prompting President Donald Trump to celebrate the move as ‘a BIG WIN.’ Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has responded to what he calls a Trump-led ‘power grab’ by advancing a plan to suspend his state’s current map and create a new one, potentially before the 2024 elections. Trump, however, has vowed to sue Newsom for his actions.
The Utah situation has its roots in a 2018 initiative, Proposition 4, which aimed to reform redistricting by establishing an independent commission. However, in 2020, the state legislature passed a bill that rendered the commission ineffective, effectively bypassing its oversight. Consequently, the new maps drew criticism from various groups, including the League of Women Voters of Utah and the Mormon Women for Ethical Government, who argued that the maps violated the voter-approved standards by breaking up Salt Lake City’s blue-leaning urban region into four districts.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has warned that ‘almost anything promoted as an ‘independent commission’ is often a strategy to give Democrats an edge they can’t win through fair elections.’ This has ignited a broader debate about the influence of independent commissions in redistricting and their potential to shift political power.